GibbsDiNozzo Family Twist
by his4evergirl
Summary: This is a twist on my stories Protecting Gibbs and Our Life Our family. In this version Charity is a Marine, who comes home with some baggage. she meets the team and we'll see how things will be different for her and Tony. You don't need to read the other stories to understand this, but I would love it if you did anyway. I do not own NCIS. Will have a little of every genre.
1. Chapter 1

Gibbs finished his morning coffee and grabbed another cup to go. Then he headed out the door. He drove to NCIS and arrived to find his team gathered round McGee's computer.

"What are you three doing?" Gibbs inquired, sounding like his usual self.

"There was a bombing at an all girls' school in the Middle East." McGee answered. "We are reading about it."

"It was created by a group of Marines. It's in a very remote part of the Middle East that is still very much living in the old ways." Ziva said.

"Do they have a picture?" Gibbs asked, a spark of fear finding its way into his gut.

"Yeah, boss." McGee said and then put the article up on the big screen for everyone to see.

Gibbs looked at the photograph and skimmed the article. He read the last line, _No word yet on survivors._ Then without a word, Gibbs headed to MTAC.

"That was weird." McGee observed.

"Yeah." Ziva agreed.

"He's Gibbs. It's best to not try to understand him." Tony chimed in. "It'll just make your heads hurt."

_Gibbs..._

"Hello Special Agent Gibbs. I'm sure you've heard about the bombing." A man in fatigues said.

"Major, cut the crap. Is she alive or not?" Gibbs asked, his voice angry.

"We don't know. She was in the back section of the school. There is a wall of rubble separating us from her and the others that were in there." the Major replied.

"Keep me updated. As soon as you find her let me know." Gibbs ordered.

"I will. I just hope we find her and the others that were with her alive."

"You will." Gibbs said and then cut the communication.

_She's alive. She has to be._ Gibbs thought to himself.

_Later that day..._

Gibbs and his team were sent on their next case. A Marine was found dead, his body dumped along side a dirt road. Tony was snapping pictures of the scene and being his usual goofy self.

"Talk about a bad case of road rash." Tony commented as he looked at the body, most of the skin torn off.

Gibbs came up and smacked the back of his head and it was a little harder than usual. "This is not funny, DiNozzo. This is no time to make jokes."

"Right boss." Tony said, instantly shutting up.

"Finish processing the scene. I'll meet you back at the Navy Yard." Gibbs said and then headed off.

"Is it just me or is he grumpier than usual?" Tony asked.

"Normally, I would say it was just you, Tony." Ziva said. "But he does seem to be in a foal mood."

"Foul mood." Tony corrected.

"He's been like that ever since he read that article this morning." McGee observed.

"I wonder why." Tony pondered.

"If he wants us to know, he will tell us." Ziva said.

"But you know he won't tell us. The only way to know anything about Gibbs is to find it out ourselves." Tony replied.

"I think this is something we should stay out of Tony." McGee told him.

"He's right." Ziva added. "If we start poking around his business, he will get mad. It will be like poking the beaver."

"Bear, like poking the bear." Tony corrected.

"You're not going to listen to us, are you?" Ziva asked.

"Do I ever?" Tony replied.

Ziva rolled her eyes and went back to processing the crime scene. _Tony's going to get into a lot of trouble_. she thought to herself.


	2. Chapter 2

A week had passed and Gibbs had still not yet received word from the Major. They were also facing a dead end in their case. Gibbs sat at his desk, trying to work his computer, but failing. He smacked it a few times, but still it didn't work.

"You want some help with that boss?" McGee asked.

"No." Gibbs answered gruffly. Then he smacked the computer extra hard, frustrated with everything, and rose from his seat. "Headed to MTAC. I'll be back in a little while."

Once inside he told the techs who he wanted to talk to. "I'm sorry Agent Gibbs, but their line of communication is down right now."

"Can you fix it?" Gibbs asked, a note of anger in his voice.

"No, it has to be repaired from their end." the tech replied.

Gibbs turned and headed back out to his team. There had to be something that could be done. He just didn't know what. On the news they had reported that four Marines were dead and so far twenty of the young girls that had been in attendance that day.

_She's alive. I know it in my gut._ Gibbs thought to himself.

"How is the case coming?" Gibbs asked, trying to distract himself. "Anybody have anything new for me?"

"Still searching through his phone records and emails, nothing." McGee answered, being the first brave soul to speak up.

"David?" Gibbs asked.

"I'm sorry Gibbs. I have nothing."

"DiNozzo?"

"Sorry boss. This guy was good."

"We might have to give up." Ziva said.

"No!" Gibbs practically shouted at her and slammed his fist down on his own desk. "We do not give up on anyone."

"But boss..." Tony tried to interrupt.

"No buts." Gibbs said. "We will find out who killed our Marine and we will bring them to justice." Then Gibbs headed over to the elevator and left.

Ziva turned to Tony. "Have you found out anything about why Gibbs is so angry?" She asked.

"Not yet." Tony replied. "Since he didn't get this way until after the news about that bombing, I decided to look up who the Marines were that were in that unit."

"What did you find?" McGee asked.

"I can't get passed the security codes." Tony answered. "It won't let me see who was in charge of that school." Then Tony gave McGee a questioning look.

"No, Tony. I'm not hacking into military records, not without a warrant anyway." McGee said, recognizing the look in Tony's eyes.

"So, you'd rather put up with Grumpy Gibbs?" Tony asked.

"No, but I'm sure it will pass." McGee replied.

"It's already been a week." Tony shot back. "Come on McGee you know you want to."

"We're supposed to be working on the case." McGee countered, grasping at straws.

"Come on McGeek you know you want to flex those computer hacking muscles of yours." Tony coaxed.

McGee thought for several minutes and then sighed. "Fine."

**A/N: Thanks everyone for the reviews that you have given me already. I would also like to apologize in advance for any mistakes I might make regarding anything military related. I will do my best to make sure that I have my facts correct, but I am human and will make mistakes. I hope you all enjoy this new story.**


	3. Chapter 3

McGee had hacked his way through the security codes and was searching for the list of Marines stationed overseas. He'd found the list he needed, the list of Marines, who had started the school that had been bombed.

As soon as he'd clicked on it, the elevator doors parted and Gibbs stepped off. "You guys better have something." Gibbs barked, looking at McGee and Tony, who had been standing looking over Tim's shoulder.

"Just thought McGoo could use a second set of eyes in going through the phone records and emails." Tony said, thinking quickly.

McGee had no choice but to close out of the database and go back to the emails and phone records.

Gibbs was about ready to say something when the phone at his desk rang. He looked and saw that it was from Abby. He answered. "What's up, Abs?"

"Come down to my lab, now. I have something very important for you." She said and then hung up.

Gibbs hung the phone up and headed for the elevator.

"What's up boss?" Tony asked.

"Abby has something for me." He said and then hopped on the elevator.

Tony, Ziva, and McGee all exchanged glances. Then without a word they all headed for the stairs. They headed to Abby's lab all hurrying, hoping that they might be able to beat the elevator. They were able to get down the stairs just as Gibbs walked into Abby's lab. They all stood by the door, leaving it barely open and watched the scene unfold.

_Gibbs..._

Gibbs stepped off the elevator and headed to Abby's lab. He walked in and found Abby setting in front of her computer. "What do ya got for me Abs?" He asked.

"In there." Abby pointed to the other section of her lab.

Gibbs looked up from Abby, to see a young redhead with her hair in a military style bun and wearing fatigues. She had a few scratches on her face, a brace on her knee and leaning against a crutch.

Gibbs quickly closed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms. "I'm so glad that you're alive." He whispered to her.

"Me, too." She replied, tears stinging her eyes.

Abby smiled and then made her way out of her lab to give them some privacy. She was stunned when she ran into Tony, Ziva, and McGee in the hall. She quickly shut her door all the way and gave them all a stern look. "What are you guys doing?"

"We were wanting to know what was going on with Gibbs." Ziva answered.

"Yeah, he's flipped out like Clark Grizzwold when he didn't get his Christmas bonus." Tony said.

"He got that way right after he read that article about the school that got bombed." McGee added.

Understanding lit Abby's features. "He was worried about Charity." Abby told them.

"Is that that redhead in there?" McGee asked.

"Yes." Abby answered. "Corporal Charity Gibbs."

"Gibbs? So you mean Gibbs got himself a young redhead? Good for him." Tony said.

"No, she's his daughter, Tony." Abby replied.

"I thought Kelly..." McGee said, confused.

"Charity is two years younger than Kelly. Charity was in the car when her mom and Kelly were killed. Charity somehow survived." Abby told them.

"Oh, wow." Tony said.

_Back in the lab..._

Gibbs pulled back to look at his daughter. "I've missed you, Baby Girl." He said.

"I missed you, too, Daddy." She replied.

"How long are you home for?"

"For a long time. Just depends on how I heal." She answered, gesturing to her knee, but Gibbs knew that there was more to that statement. "I have some surgeries and physical therapy to go through."

"You know, I wanted you home, but this really isn't the way I wanted it to happen."

Charity let out a small laugh. "It's not how I pictured my homecoming either."

Gibbs reached up a hand and wiped at her tears.

"You know your team is outside the door right?" She asked.

"Yeah." Gibbs answered. Then Gibbs walked to the door and opened it. He saw his team standing out there just as he and Charity had known. "DiNozzo, come here."

Tony looked confused and walked over to Gibbs. "Yeah, boss?"

Gibbs reached around and gave Tony a head slap.

"I'm sure I deserved that, but what exactly did I do?" Tony asked.

"You can't keep your nose out of everybody's business and you dragged them into it." Gibbs answered gesturing to Ziva and McGee. "For some reason they go along with what you say."

"We do not!" Ziva and McGee both protested, sounding like children.

The glimmer of a smile lit Gibbs's face as he watched them. Then he turned to look at his daughter. He saw a very small smile on her lips. He knew that she wasn't quite herself, but that's what happened when you saw violence like she had. Who knew what she had gone through when that bomb went off. she would talk to him when she was ready.


	4. Chapter 4

Gibbs had stepped aside to allow his team to enter Abby's lab. They all walked in, seeming kind of afraid that Gibbs might flip out at any moment. Fir a long time nobody said anything.

Charity was the first to break the silence. "Hi, I'm Charity." She said and then started to hobble forward on her crutch.

Ziva stepped out towards her. "I'm Ziva. It's very nice to meet you."

"It's nice to finally meet you." Charity replied, smiling, but the smile didn;t quite touch her blue eyes. The two women shook hands.

"Finally?" McGee asked, stepping forward to shake her hand next. "I'm Timothy McGee."

"Yeah, dad has been writing to me about all of you." She answered.

Tony stepped forward next. "That's funny, he never said anything to us about you. I'm Tony."

"I'm his best kept secret." Charity replied. "Well, until now."

Just then Duckie walked in the lab. "Well, isn't this the place to..." Ducki began and then stopped as soon as he saw Charity, "Charity, you're home." He then walked over to her and pulled her in for a hug.

Charity wrapped her arm that, wasn't clutching the crutch, around him and squeezed. "I missed you, too, Duckie."

Duckie pulled back. "This is a wonderful surprise." He said, smiling.

"Wait, a second here." Tony interrupted. "Why did Abby and Duckie already knew you had another daughter and we didn't?"

Gibbs just shrugged.

"You just weren't special enough, Tony." Charity answered, smiling, but it still wasn't quite lighting up her face.

"We are best friends." Abby said, coming up to stand on Charity's good side and place an arm around her shoulders. "And Duckie, is just Duckie."

Duckie chuckled. "I met her a long time ago, when I first met Jethro." Duckie replied. "She was an adorable little girl then."

"But now that you all do know her and she is home," Abby began, "We have all have to go out and celebrate tonight."

"I don't..." Charity began, but Abby interrupted her.

"I mean you're home and alive!" Abby said.

"I don't really feel like celebrating right now, Abby." Charity said. "I just want to go home and relax."

"But..." Abby began.

"I promise we can celebrate later." Charity replied.

Abby sighed. "Okay, you probably need to rest, anyway."

"So, are you ready to go home, baby girl?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah." She answered.

Gibbs then turned to his team. "Continue working on the case. If you need me call."

"If you're in the middle of a case, I can call a cab." Charity said, not wanting to interrupt her father's work.

Gibbs turned to her. "They can handle it. I'm taking you home and we'll order pizza from your favorite place."

"Pizza? I haven't had pizza in forever. Okay." Charity said, her mouth already watering.

"DiNozzo, you're in charge." Gibbs said.

"Okay, boss." Tony replied.

Before they left, Abby pulled Charity in for a hug. "I'm so happy you're home. I missed you."

"I missed you, too." Charity gave Abby a tight, one-armed squeeze. Then she pulled back. "We'll have plenty of time to visit. I'm gonna be home for a while."

"Okay." Abby said.

Charity turned to the rest of the group. "It was nice meeting you guys." She said.

"Nice to meet you, too." They all said.

Then Charity hobbled over to her father and they both headed out.


	5. Chapter 5

Charity and Gibbs arrived home. Gibbs got out of the car and walked arounf to help his daughter out. She leaned heavily on him, until they got her crutch from the back of the car. He helped her into the house.

Once inside Charity took in a huge breath. The familiar scents of home. She could smell the sawdust that her father tracked through the house. She loved the smell. "My room still the same?" She asked.

"Of course." Gibbs answered. "Just like you left it. Do you need help getting up the stairs?"

"No." She answered. "As long as the rail and the wall are sturdy, I'm good."

"Okay." Gibbs replied. "I'll go order the pizza. Extra cheese and pepperoni?"

"Yup." She then leaned her crutch against the wall at the bottom of the stairs. She grabbed onto the rail with one hand and the wall with the other. She then slowly began to make her way up the stairs. Once she reached the top she turned right and leaned against the wall, heading for her room.

She got to her door and opened it up. She stepped in and turned the light on. She looked around the room. The room was covered in pink and looked so much like the bedroom of a little girl. Stuffed animals covered the bed. In all her life, Charity had never changed the look of her room. It had always been her escape and even though she was grown woman now, she found her room a great comfort.

The room reminded her of simpler times. She thought back to when she was a little girl and her biggest worries were monsters under the bed and hiding in the closet. Monsters her dad could always chase away.

She sighed and limped her way to her closet. She opened it and pulled out an old NIS t-shirt and a pair of shorts. She went to her bed and plopped down. She slipped off her combat boots and then removed the brace from her knee. She finished undressing and then slipped into the comfy clothes. She looked down at her knee and noticed that the dressing on her wound needed changed.

She sighed and picked up the brace. Then she headed out the door and to the bathroom. She grabbed the things she needed and then headed back down the stairs. She grabbed her crutch and headed to the living room.

Gibbs was already setting on the couch. He saw how much she had and got up to help her. "Thanks, Daddy." She said, as he helped her to set down. Charity strecthed her leg out and began to unwrap her knee.

"Here. let me help." Gibbs said, leaning forward and starting to help Charity.

Charity wanted to argue, but she knew that he wanted to see just how bad it was. So, she leaned back and watched her father as he finished unwrapping her knee.

Gibbs picked up a towel and started to dab at the wound. He examined it as he cleaned it. Charity's knee was covered in deep gashes, that were stitched closed. It also appeared that the shrapnal had got to the muscle and bone. "You're going to have to have your knee replaced, aren't you?"

"Probably, but the doctors think that they might be able to save my knee." She answered with a sigh. "First thing is though, they have to do surgery to repair my muscles."

"One step at a time." Gibbs said and started to apply the ointment to the wound. "When is your first surgery?"

"Next wednesday morning." Charity answered.

"I'm taking that day off and I'll take you." Gibbs answered.

"I don't want to take you away from your work." Charity protested.

"Baby girl, I'm your father. I'm going to take care of you, so just get over it."

Charity smiled slightly. "Yes, Gunny."

Gibbs smiled back at his daughter. "That's better Corporal." Then he began to wrap a new dressing on her knee. "There we go." He said.

Then the doorbell rang and Gibbs got up. He opened the door and saw the pizza guy. He paid him and then took the pizza. He brought it in and sat it in front of Charity. He flipped open the box.

Charity smelled the pizza. "Oh how I have missed pizza." She said, reaching into the box and grabbing the biggest slice she could find.

Gibbs smiled. "You want a drink?"

"Yeah." She answered.

Gibbs went into the kitchen and returned with two bottles of beer. He opened them and handed one to his daughter. She took the bottle from him and took a sip. Then she sunk her teeth into the pizza.

"Even better than I remembered." She said.

Gibbs laughed and then picked up a slice and took a bite.

After they finished eating the pizza, Gibbs picked out one of Charity's favorite movies and popped it in. Then he made some popcorn and sat back down on the couch next to her. Charity snuggled up to her father and watched the movie.

For just a little while she could pretend she was a little girl again. For that little bit of time she could pretend that she hadn't seen, heard, and done the things she had. For that moment in time she could pretend that her father could protect her and shield her from the evils of the world.


	6. Chapter 6

Charity had fallen asleep cuddled up with her father. He looked down at her when he heard snoring. He smiled and decided to let her sleep. She had looked so tired when she had arrived home. He moved and shifted her on the couch. Then he pulled the blanket from the back and draped it over her.

Gibbs kissed her forehead and then headed to his own room. He climbed under the covers and fell asleep. Just a few short hours later, he woke to the sound of Charity screaming. He jumped from bed and headed back to the couch where he left her.

Charity was still asleep. She was clutching the blanket to her chest and screaming "No! Stay with me! Come on! Don't close your eyes!" Over and over again.

Gibbs rushed over and grabbed her shoulders and shook her awake. "Charity! Baby girl! Wake up!"

Her eyes flew open and it took her a moment to realize where she was. Then she fell into her father's arms, her head against his chest, as sobs wracked her body.

"It was just a nightmare." Gibbs said, as he rubbed soothing circles on her back and kissed the top of her head.

Charity shook her head. "No." She croaked. "It happened and I...I couldn't..." She stopped as a sob swallowed her words.

"It's okay baby." He soothed. "Everything is gonna be okay."

Charity let her father cradle her and comfort her. She couldn't even begin to tell him what she had dreamed about. She couldn't tell him that it had been a flashback and that every time she slept, the scene played over and over in her mind.

Gibbs held his daughter while she cried. Her sobs slowly began to subside and before long, she fell back to sleep. She was clinging so tightly to him, as she slept. Gibbs just sat there for a while watching her face, making sure she looked peaceful. Then he too, fell asleep, still holding her.

_The next day..._

Gibbs was getting ready for work. He'd grabbed his fourth cup of coffee. "Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself?" Gibbs asked.

"I'll be fine Daddy." She answered. "If I need you I'll call."

"You better Corporal." Gibbs replied.

"I will, Gunny."

Gibbs then gave his daughter a kiss on the forehead and headed for work. He arrived and found that his team filling out case reports. "How's the case?" Gibbs asked.

"Well, McGeek finally found something useful in the emails and traced the sender and found the killer." Tony answered. "After twenty minutes in interrogation with Ziva, he cracked and confeced."

"Good work." Gibbs said and made his way over to his desk.

Vance then called and gave the team a new case. They arrived at the crime scene and started collecting evidence. They arrived back at NCIS and Gibbs took the evidence to Abby.

"Hey Gibbs!" She greeted brightly. "So how's Charity?"

"I have some evidence for you." Gibbs said, laying the bag on her desk. Then he started for the door.

Abby grabbed his arm. "Gibbs?"

"Yes?"

"You didn't answer my question. How is Charity?"

Gibbs sighed. "She's not quite herself. She woke up last night having a nightmare. I think it was a flashback."

"Is she talking about what happened?"

"No." Gibbs answered. "I don't think she's ready yet."

"Do you think she would like to have any visitors today?" Abby asked.

"I think she'd like to see you, Abby." Gibbs answered. "You should go see her when you go to lunch. Maybe some girl time would be good for her."

Abby nodded. "Okay, I'll go see her then."

Gibbs gave Abby a kiss on the cheek and then left.

A few hours later, Abby was taking her lunch break. She headed on over to Gibbs's house. She walked up the steps and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Charuty called.

"Just your friendly neighborhood forensic scientist." Abby answered.

"Come on in, Abby."

Abby walked in the house and found Charity sitting on the couch, changing the dressing on her knee. "That doesn't look good." Abby observed.

"I still have my leg." Charity said. "Still have my life." Then a look of sadness came over her face.

Abby walked over and sat down by her. "Hey, you need to have some fun. So, tonight we are all going out to celebrate you being home and alive."

"I told you, I don't feel like celebrating."

"Charity, you can't sit around here feeling sorry for yourself. You have to get out and enjoy life." Abby said, her voice stern.

"You just don't understand." Charity said, as she finished wrapping her knee.

"Then tell me so I can understand." Abby said, feeling angry with the coldness in Charity.

"I...I can't. I have no reason to celebrate. I have no reason to enjoy life."

"Yes, you do!" Abby yelled, getting up. "You have people that love you and want you to be happy! Your dad loves you and I love you! We want to be happy that you're home, but we also want you to be happy!"

"Well, I can't be happy! Not now!" Charity shouted back, tears streaming down her face. "Maybe you should just leave." Charity added the last part in a low quiet voice.

"Fine." Abby said. "But I'm not giving up on you."

Charity didn't look up as she heard Abby stomp away. the door slammed opened and closed and Abby was gone. Charity was alone. Charity looked up at the cieling and shouted, "Why? Why did you take them? Why did I survive? Why me?"


	7. Chapter 7

After Abby left, Charity got up. She hobbled over to the stairs and headed for her room. She grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that had USMC across the front of it. On the back it had the insignia of the Marines and read Simper Fi.

Charity slipped her combat boots back on. She brushed out her long red locks and let them fall down her back. She made her way back down the stairs and grabbed her crutch. She pulled out her cell phone and called for a cab.

The cab quickly arrived and Charity hopped in. She gave told the cab driver where to go and soon she leaned on her crutch just outside the cemetery gates. She paid the cab driver and told him to come back in a couple of hours. She walked into the cemetery and made her way to the grave stone she was looking for.

She stopped in front of the one that read, "Corporal Katherine Marks." She looked down at the grave, that had just been dug last week. "Katie, I still can't believe you're gone." Charity said.

She stood there after that and listened to the silence around her. "You have no idea how much I wish you were here right now. I miss your smiling face and how you could always make me laugh. You were so goofy. I can't believe all the stuff you talked me into."

Charity let out a small laugh as she remembered all the antics they performed and the trouble they got into. "Remember during basic when you talked me into toilet papering the Sergeant's barracks? We got in so much trouble. We had to do one hundred push-ups and then we had to scrub the barracks from top to bottom with toothbrushes."

Charity began to laugh uncontrolably, sounding hysterical. Soon the laughs became sobs and tears fell from her eyes. "I'm not sure why I survived. I can't figure out why He took yhou and the others and left me alive." She said, once the sobs had calmed. She wiped at the tears falling down her face. "I don't think I'll ever figure it out."

Charity then reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out a flask. She opened it and held it up. "Here's to you, Katie. Simper Fi. I will never forget you." She then tipped the flask to her lips and took a sip.

She stood there for the time being, trying to imagine what Katie would say if she were here. Then Charity knew just what she had to do. She headed back to the gates of the cemetery. The cab driver came back right on time and she told him she needed to go to NCIS.

_Abby..._

Abby arrived back from her lunch early. She headed straight for her lab and went right back to work. _Why won't she let me help her?_ Abby asked internally. She then threw herself into her work.

A while later, Gibbs entered. "How ya doin' Abs?" He asked.

"Fine." She answered. "I have something for you."

"I take it things didn't go well with Charity." Gibbs stated, knowing that something was bothering Abby. She was always so happy and perky, but right now she wasn't.

"No, they didn't." Abby replied. "She wouldn't let me help her Gibbs. I just wanted to help her." Tears began to fill Abby's eyes.

Gibbs pulled Abby to him. "I know. War does things to people, Abby. They have to want the help and want to talk about it."

"I know, Gibbs, but...it's just hard. It hurts to watch her go through this. It hurts that we are so happy that she's alive, but she's not."

"I know, Abby." Gibbs said, knowing too well how it hurt him to see his daughter suffering.

"Gibbs how can we help her?" Abby asked.

"We just have to let her come to us." Gibbs answered. Then his phone rang. He looked at the caller id. It was Tony. He picked it up and talked briefly with him. He hung up and then looked at Abby. "I have to go."

"Okay." Abby replied.

Gibbs gave her one more hug and kissed the top of her head. "Just be patient. She'll talk when she's ready." Gibbs then left.

Abby got back to work. after about twenty minutes she heard somebody coming down the hall. She didn't look up or turn around.

"Hey." came the familiar voice of Charity.

"What are you doing here?" Abby asked, without turning around.

"I wanted to apologize for the way I acted earlier. You didn't deserve to be treated like that." Charity began. "I know you were only trying to help."

Abby turned around. "You're damn right I didn't deserve to be treated like that. I just want to help you and I think you...we all... need to get out and celebrate that you're home and alive!" Abby shouted at Charity, still angry from earlier. "We are happy that you're alive! Why can't you be?"

Charity couldn't stop her own anger from flaring. "You want to know why? Okay, fine I'll tell you!" She shouted back. "You know what the first thing I did when I got back was?"

"What?!"

"I burried four of my fellow Marines! I burried four of my friends!" Charity spat out. "But that's not all. I will eventually move on from that pain, but there are things that happened over there. Things I'll never be able to forget or get over and move on from!"

"Things like what?" Abby asked, her anger instantly lessening.

Charity sighed and made an effort to cool her temper. "When that school was bombed, I was inside teaching this group of girls, ages six to fourteen the alphabet. I was trying to teach them how to read and write. Then the bomb dropped on the school." Charity began telling her tale. "I was knocked over and disoriented. My vision was blurry. Then I heard her."

"Heard who?"

_Flashback..._

_ Charity lay on the floor amidst debries and rubble. the world was a blur around her and for a second she couldn't remember where she was or what had just happened. Then she heard the voice._

_ "Help me!" The voice called in Arabic._

_ Charity instantly recognized the voice. "Amira! Keep talking!" She shouted, in the girl's native toung._

_ "Miss Charity! Help me! It hurts so much!"_

_ "I'm coming. Keep talking so I can follow the sound of your voice!"_

_ "Miss Charity! Help!" Then the little girl broke out into sobs._

_ Charity went to stand, but her knee gave out and she fell to the ground. She had to get to Amira though. She began to crawl to the sound of little girl's sobs. Her vision started to clear as she got closer. Then Charity found the little girl._

_ "Amira, I'm here." Charity said, blinking to clear her vision further._

_ "Miss Charity, it hurts so much."_

_ Charity looked down to see that the girl was covered in blood. "Where does it hurt?" Charity asked._

_ "My tummy." The girl cried._

_ Charity looked down and saw the large wound in the girl's abdomin. She instantly moved her hands to put pressure on the wound. The little girl cried out. "I'm sorry, but I have to stop the bleeding." Charity said, keeping her voice calm._

_ "It's so cold Miss Charity. I want to sleep."_

_ "No, you have to stay awake." Charity said, a note of panic creeping into her voice._

_ "Sleep." Amira said. She opened her large brown eyes and looked up at Charity. "I see a woman she looks like you, but older. She said to tell you it's said it's a happy place where she is and where I'm going." Then Amira closed her eyes and breathed her last breath._

_ "No!" Charity screamed. She tried performing cpr on the child, but it did nothing. She pulled the girl to her and cradled her body to her chest. Charity began to slowly rock back and forth still holding the dead child, tears streaming down her face._

_ Then the wall of rubbled on the other side of the room broke open. Soldiers quickly filled the room. They made their way over to Charity. "Corporal Gibbs." came the voice of the Major._

_ Charity didn't hear him. She just sat there holding Amira's body, rocking back and forth. _

_ "Corporal!" The major shouted. "You have to let go!"_

_ Charity still sat there, not hearing nor feeling. _

_ The Major said something to the other soldiers. Then strong arms wrapped around Charity and another set wrapped around Amira. They pulled the girl from Charity's arms._

_ "No!" Charity cried out._

_ The Major held Charity. "Corporal! She is gone! There's nothing you can do to help her, now!"_

_ Charity cried. She said nothing as the Major lifted her and carried her from the rubble._

_Present..._

By the time Charity had finished telling Abby the terrible story of what had happened, she had broke down into sobs.

"Oh my! I had no idea!" Abby said rushing over to embrace Charity. "I am so sorry! That must have been aweful."

"It was. I'm sorry Abby." Charity said, squeezing Abby tight. "I just can't help but think that it should have been me. I mean Amira was only six. She had a heck of a lot more life to live than me. She was gonna change the world. She was killed all because she wanted to go to school and learn. It's not fair. And for some reason she looked up to me. She was like having a little sister."

"Charity, you can't talk like this." Abby said. "It may not be fair, but it's what happened. Do you really think that she would want her idol, her big sister, to be like this? To be wishing she were dead?"

"No." Charity answered.

"Then don't let her death be for nothing. Don't let you being alive and her not stop you from enjoying life. Celebrate life."

"You're right Abby." Charity said. Then an idea struck her. "Maybe I could use some going out and celebrating."

"That's more like it." Abby said. "Tonight we celebrate!"

"But on one condition." Charity said.

"Anything you want."

"We don't celebrate me being home and alive. We celebrate Amira and the other girls like her who died working on changing the world. We celebrate the lives of the Marines that died in that bombing."

"Alright, deal." Abby agreed.


	8. Chapter 8

Abby and Charity hopped on the elevator together, tears still in their eyes. But they were smiling. The doors opened and they stepped out to find everyone setting at their desks, filling out paperwork.

Gibbs looked up and saw that Abby had her arm around Charity and they were heading forward. He also noticed the unshed tears glistening in their eyes. "Are you two okay?"

Charity looked over at Abby. "We're okay, right?"

Abby nodded. "Yes."

Tony, Ziva, and McGee all looked up from their desks. "What's going on?" Tony asked.

"Well, we came up here to invite everyone out tonight." Abby said. "We are having a celebration."

Gibbs looked up at his daughter, a questioning look on his face.

"But we aren't celebrating my homecoming." Charity said, answering the question in her father's eyes. "I will explain more tonight."

"Where is this celebration?" Tony asked.

"The Eagle." Abby answered, naming a local bar. "So, are you guys in?"

"Sure." McGee answered.

"Sounds fun." Ziva agreed.

"Why not." Tony answered.

"Alright, The Eagle, seven tonight." Abby said.

"Welp, I'm gonna go home. I have a few things I need to take care of." Charity said. She gave Abby one last hug.

"Wait, I'll take you home." Gibbs said, getting up. Then he turned to his team. "So you guys tonight."

"See you at six, Abby?" Charity asked.

"Yup. I'll be over at your house with bells on."

With that, Charity and Gibbs left.

"So, Abby are you okay?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She asked.

"I have no idea, but when you came up, you and Charity had both been crying?" Tony asked.

"Oh, that." Abby said. "Charity just told me about what happened over there. It really got to me."

"Oh." Was all Tony could say.

"Okay, so I'll see you guys later. Remember the Eagle at seven." Then she headed out herself.

"This looks like it will be an interesting evening." Ziva commented.

"You know what I wanna know?" Tony asked.

"What?" Ziva asked, prepared for some juvenile answer.

"If we aren't celebrating Charity's homecoming, what exactly are we celebrating?"

"That is a good question." Ziva said.

"I guess we'll just have to wait to find out tonight." McGee said.

"That is one option..." Tony said, trailing off.

"Good lord, Tony. Don't you ever get tired of sticking your nose in other's business?" Ziva asked.

"No." Tony answered with a sly grin.

"You're such a child." Ziva said and then went back to her paperwork.


	9. Chapter 9

Later that night, Abby arrived at the Gibbs's family house at six. She'd agreed to help Charity get ready. They were in Charity's room, Abby going through Charity's closet trying to find something for Charity to wear.

"What about this?" Abby asked, pulling out a black halter top and a cute black skirt.

"Yes to the top, but no to the skirt. It's been so long since I've worn one, I don't think I would be very comfortable." Charity replied. "How bout I just wear that top and these jeans?"

"Okay, but you are so not wearing your combat boots." Abby said. She threw the halter top to Charity and dove back into her closet.

Charity slipped out of her t-shirt and put on the black top. She then bent down and slipped off her boots. "No heels. I wouldn't be able to keep my balance." Charity said, remembering all the stillettos she had in that closet.

"Okay, how about these?" Abby asked, holding up a pair of black flats.

"Those will be just fine." Charity answered.

Abby tossed Charity the shoes. Charity slipped her feet into the shoes and slowly stood. Abby was instantly at her side helping her walk. "I don't know what I would do without you, Abby." Charity said.

Abby smiled. "That's what family is for."

The pair then made their way down the stairs. Gibbs was already waiting for them in the car. They hopped in and Gibbs drove to the Eagle. When they arrived, Tony, Ziva, and McGee were already there and were setting at a table waiting for them.

Abby took a seat by McGee and Gibbs held out a chair for Charity by Tony. As she sat down, Gibbs noticed a tattoo on Charity's left shoulder. The tattoo was of two pistols side by side and above them read "Rowdy Girls..." then below the pistols said, "Simper Fi."

"When In the world did you get that tattoo?" Gibbs asked, taking his seat next to his daughter.

Before Charity could answer, McGee and Tony were both saying, "What tattoo?"

Charity smiled and a faint pink appaeared on her cheeks. She turned in her seat so that they could all get a good look at her ink. "I got it just before I shipped out."

"Why?" Gibbs asked. "And what does Rowdy girls mean?"

Charity smiled. Then she turned back around. "Corporal Katherine Marks." Charity answered. "We joined the same time, went through basic together, and we were shipped out together. Before we shipped out, she had this crazy idea to get matching tattoos. So, we came up with this and we did it. Rowdy Girls is what we called ourselves."

Gibbs smiled remembering some of the friends he had made in the Marines.

"She could talk me into anything." Charity said. Her blue eyes went misty and then she mentally shook herself.

"So, Charity?" Tony said, addressing her directly.

"Yes?"

"If we aren't celebrating your homecoming tonight, just what are we celebrating?"

Charity nodded and then reached into her pocket. She pulled out two pictures. One was of a group of four women all dressed in fatigues and having goofy looks on their faces. The other photograph was of a group of young girls ages ranging from six to fourteen. "Tonight, we are celebrating the lives of these women and young girls. They all died in the bombong of that school house. They all died trying to make a difference in this world. Tonight we are honoring them."

Gibbs smiled at his daughter. He knew that she needed to do this. He knew she needed to honor their memory in some way and he knew that she needed to have some fun. "That sounds like a wonderful idea." Gibbs said.

Just then the waitress walked over and brought a round of shots. She placed a glass in front of everyone at the table. Charity lifted her glass, "To these brave women, who died working on changing the world. You may be gone but you will never be forgotten."

Everyone raised their glasses and clinked them together. Then they all drank their shots. Music started to play in the background of the bar. People were getting up and dancing around the room.

Abby got up and looked at Gibbs. "We should dance to this song." She said. Then she looked at Charity. "To celebrate life."

Charity smiled. "Of course."

Gibbs sighed, but got up and followed Abby out onto the dance floor. Charity watched them for a moment and smiled. A very handsome man then began making his way over to the table. He looked at Ziva. "Would you like to dance with me?" He asked.

"I...I don't know." Ziva said and then looked at Charity, she really wasn't sure about leaving Charity alone with Tony and McGee.

"Go ahead. Have some fun." Charity encouraged.

"Alright, sure." Ziva answered. She stood and allowed the handsome stranger to lead her to the floor.

Then a shy looking young woman walked up to McGee. "W...would you like...to dance with me?"

"Sure." McGee answered. Then he rose and walked out on the floor with the young woman.

"So, it looks like it's just the two of us." Tony said.

"Yeah." Charity replied, suddenly feeling awkward and a little shy.

"So, how long have you been in the Marines?" Tony asked.

"Since the day I turned eighteen." Charity answered.

"So, your friend that could talk you into anything, what'd she talk you into?" Tony asked.

"So much trouble." Charity answered.

"Like what?" Tony asked.

"Well, it started off as little things in basic." Charity answered. "Mostly playing pranks on the Sergeant."

"What kind of pranks?" Tony asked, his curiosity piqued. "I love pranks."

Charity grinned. "Well, there was one time where we took and disassembled a Jeep and reassembled it in the sergeant's room and set it so that the horn would go off at three in the morning."

"That is pretty awesome." Tony said. "How much trouble did you get in for that?"

"Well, first we had to get it out of her room and then we had to clean every inch of it. Plus we had to do one hundred push-ups with the sergeant on our backs."

Tony laughed. "Sounds like you two were quite the pair."

"Yeah." Charity agreed. "So, what kind of pranks do you play?"

"All kinds." Tony answered. "I'm the king of pranking."

"Really? Do tell."

Tony then began to tell her of the numorous pranks he had played on McGee and Ziva over the years. He even had some pictures saved on his phone and showed them to Charity. She let out a huge laugh when she saw a picture of McGee covered in silly string and confetti.

She and Tony talked more and laughed, while everyone else was out on the dance floor. Charity hadn't laughed like that in a long time. She'd been through so much that had kept her from laughing. For some reason though, Tony and his goofy ways were making her laugh again.


	10. Chapter 10

Soon it was Wednesday and time for Charity to have her first surgery. Gibbs woke her up. "Time to get ready for your surgery." Gibbs said.

Charity grumbled incoherently at him.

Gibbs gently shook her. "Corporal get up now."

"Huh?!" Charity said, her eyes popping open. In her sleepy state she almost forgot where she was. Then she realized that her dad had just said that to get her up. She playfully slapped his arm. "Dad, I woulda woke up eventually."

Gibbs smiled at his daughter. "Come on get up and get dressed. It's almost time to go."

"Okay, okay." Charity said. She sat up and stretched. Then she made a shooing motion to her father. "Go on. I'll get up and get dressed, but I need some privacy."

"Okay." Gibbs leaned over and kissed her forehead. Then he got up and headed for the door.

_At NCIS..._

Abby stepped off the elevator with a jar in her hands. She walked over to Team Gibbs. "What are you up to, Abby?" McGee asked.

"Charity is having her surgery today. I'm taking up a collection to get her flowers and maybe some things she can do while she's in the hospital." Abby answered. Then she took the lid off the jar and held it out to McGee.

Tim reached into his wallet and pulled out a five and placed it in the jar. Abby walked over to Ziva, who also placed a five in the jar. Next of course was Tony. "Alright, Tony, your turn."

Tony reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He pulled out a ten and placed it in the jar. "There you go, Abby." Tony said.

"Thanks guys." Abby said. "I'm gonna go buy the flowers and stuff now. I'll make sure to put all your names on the card." Then Abby left.

Abby soon arrived at the hospital after she had picked up the flowers and a few puzzle books. She found Gibbs in the waiting room. "Have they taken her back yet?" Abby asked.

"No, they are prepping her right now." Gibbs answered. "They said they would come get me before they took her back."

Just then a nurse walked out. "Gibbs family?" She asked.

Gibbs and Abby both walked over to the nurse. She then led them back to Charity's room. "When the surgery is over we'll bring her back to this room. We just gave her the anestetic, so she'll be out of it pretty soon."

"Alright, thank you." Gibbs said.

The nurse left and Gibbs and Abby walked over to Charity's bedside. "Hey baby girl." Gibbs said.

Charity looked up at him. "Hey Daddy." She said smiling. "Abby's here."

Abby stepped out from behind Gibbs. "Hey Charity. Everybody chipped in and we got you flowers."

"That's nice." Charity said.

Then two orderlies walked in the room. "We're here to take a Charity Gibbs for surgery on her knee."

"That would be me." Charity said from her bed.

"Well, is our patient ready to go?"

Charity looked over at the orderlies. They were both very handsome young men. "As long as I'm going somewhere with you cuties, I'm ready." She said, which was unlike her. Of course she was drugged up and didn't care.

"I believe she's ready." One of the orderlies said.

Charity then looked at Abby and her father. "I love you guys." She said, dazedly.

"We love you, too." They both said.

Then the orderlies rolled her out. "Weee!" She squeeled as the bed moved.

Gibbs and Abby both laughed. "That nurse wasn't kidding when she said, Charity would be out of it." Abby said.

"No she wasn't." Gibbs agreed.

A couple of hours later, Tony and Ziva were walking into the room. "What are you guys doing here?" Gibbs asked.

"We thought we would come see how Charity was doing." Ziva answered.

"Where is she?" Tony asked.

"Still in surgery. They should be bringing her back soon." Gibbs answered.

Just then two nurses were wheeling Charity in from her surgery. She was asleep. "Which one of you is Mr. Gibbs?" One of the nurses asked as soon as they had her bed parked.

Gibbs stood up. "That would be me."

"Alright, well you're daughter is going to be just fine. The doctor will be in in a few minutes to talk more in depth to you." The nurse told him.

"Thank you." Gibbs said.

The two nurses then left. Then as promised, the doctor arrived. "Hello Mr. Gibbs." He said.

"Hello doctor." Gibbs said.

"The surgery went very well. We repaired the tendons and they should heal just fine." The doctor explained. "Now, as long as things go well, we will be releasing her into your care tomorrow. It is important that she keep the brace on and keep her leg straight so that the muscles can repair themselves. If she moves the muscles right now, it will likely pull the stitches and then we'll have to go through this again."

Gibbs nodded. "For how long?"

"It should be a couple of weeks. While we were in there, I was able to get a better look at her the entire injury." He told Gibbs.

"And?" Gibbs asked.

"We are going to try a couple of more surgeries, but if they don't work, it's very likely that we'll have to replace her entire knee."

Gibbs nodded again. "Thank you, doctor."

"Thank you." The two men shook hands and then the doctor left the room.

Gibbs sighed and then took his seat once more. "This is going to be one long recovery." he muttered to himself.

There was silence in the room and then a moan from Charity got everyone's attention. Gibbs was instantly up and by her bedside. "Daddy." she groaned.

"I'm right here baby girl. Is something wrong?"

"My knee hurts." She grumbled, her eyes still closed.

"You want me to call a nurse in to get you something?" Gibbs asked.

"No..." Charity mumbled. "Just talk. Keep my mind off...it."

"Okay, Tony and Ziva came to see you." Gibbs said, not sure what else to say.

"Are they still here?" she asked.

"Yeah, we're here." Tony said, coming closer to the bed. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

Charity groaned. "As good as can be expected." she then opened her eyes and looked around the room. "Played any good oranks lately?" she asked.

Tony grinned. "Of course. I get McGeek at least twice a week." He answered.

"What'd you do to him this time?"

Tony went into great detail explaining his latest prank on poor Tim. Charity laughed as Tony explained the prank. Even when she was half out of it and in pain, Tony was able to make her laugh.

Tony enjoyed bragging about his antics and he also enjoyed the fact that someone else finally found him funny. _It's about time somebody appreciated my sense of humor._ He thought as he continued to make Charity laugh.


	11. Chapter 11

A few dats later, after Charity had been released from the hospital, she had finally convinced Gibbs to go back to work. "Come on, Dad. I'll be fine. I can take care of myself."

"As long as you're sure?"

"Dad, just go. I swear if I need you I will call."

"Okay." Gibbs said, hesitant to leave his daughter, but he finally agreed. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and left.

Charity breathed a sigh of relief. She loved her father, but he had been driving her nuts over the last few days, hovering so much. She knew why he did it, but she knew why he did it. She knew he was only worried about her, but still she needed some space.

Charity picked up her ipod and put in her headphones. She turned it on and leaned back, letting the music fill her ears. She closed her eyes and let the music relax her.

_NCIS..._

The team was having a slow day and getting caught up on their case reports. Gibbs would pull his cell phone out periodically and look at it.

"Are you expecting a call boss?" Tony asked.

"Yes...no...maybe." Gibbs answered.

"O...kay." Tony said and went back to his paperwork. He couldn't help but notice Gibbs pulling out his phone constantly. "Is something wrong?" Tony tried asking again.

"No." Gibbs answered. He wanted to call Charity to check on her, but he couldn't. He knew he'd been driving her nuts with his hovering. Then an idea struck him. "DiNozzo, come with me." Then he stood up and headed for the elevator.

Tony looked really confused, but went and followed Gibbs anyway. They entered the elevator and Gibbs pushed the button, stopping the elevator. "What's up boss?" Tony asked.

_Charity a little while later..._

Charity had fallen asleep listening to her music. She awoke hearing a knocking sound that didn't go with the beat of her music. Then she realized that somebody was knocking on the door. She pulled out her headphones and turned the ipod off. "Who is it?" She called.

"Tony."

"Come in." She said.

The door opened and Tony stepped into the living room. "Hi." He said.

"Hi." She replied. "Dad send you to keep an eye on me?"

Tony grinned. "Pretty much."

"Well, you can go or you can stay." she said. "But I must tell you that if you decide to stay, that I am not helpless."

Tony walked over and sat down on the couch beside her. "I would never mistake you for being helpless."

"Good." Charity replied. "So, I take it that means you're staying."

"Yeah, I mean for one thing, if I go back now, your dad might just kill me." Tony replied jokingly.

"Oh, and here I thought you liked my sparkling personality." Charity replied, feining hurt feelings.

"Well, yeah that, too." Tony replied. "But I also need a favor."

"Oh, a favor? What kind of favor? Just so you know, I don't do sexual favors." She said, teasingly.

Tony laughed. "You're good you know that?"

Charity grinned. "So, that means it's not a sexual favor? Damn. I woulda done that for you." Her tone was teasing.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"No." she answered.

"See, I have no idea if you're kidding or not."

"And you never will."

Tony shook his head. "Okay, anyway the favor I need is if you have any ideas on pranks I could pull on McGee."

"Oh, why is that? I thought you were the king of pranks."

"I am, but I'm running out of ideas." Tony replied.

"You do realize, this is going to cost you." Charity replied. "My services are not free, nor am I cheap."

Tony grinned. "What is this going to cost me?"

Charity thought for a moment. "First thing that it's going to cost you..."

"Wait first thing?"

"Yes, I told you I'm not cheap."

Tony couldn't help but grin at Charity. She was quite entertaining. "Okay, what is the first thing it's going to cost me?"

"You have got to get me out of this house. Park, mall, cafe, I don't care where. I'm going stir crazy."

"I think I can manage that." Tony replied.

"Good then let's go get into some trouble."


	12. Chapter 12

Tony and Charity made their way out to Tony's car. Tony opened the passenger door for Charity. He helped her as littlwe as he could, knowing that it would drive her nuts to be too helpful.

Once she was ecirly inside and her crutches were in the back seat, Tony walked over to the driver's side and hopped in. "You in the mood for coffee?" Tony asked.

"Sounds good. I always plan pranks better when I have caffine." Charity answered.

"Alright, cafe it is then." He started the engine and pulled out of the drive. He headed for the closest cafe. They spent the drive in comfortable silence.

When they arrived, Tony got out and helped Charity out of the car. Once she was steady on her crutches, Tony backed off, keeping a comfortable distance between them. "What would you like?" Tony asked.

"Black coffee." She answered.

"Should have known." Tony replied. He approached the counter and ordered for the two of them. Then he paid. Their drinks were made and Tony picked them up and carried them to a table in the corner.

Charity sat down and leaned her crutches against the wall. "You didn't have to do that. Let me pay you back." Charity said, reaching into her pocket for some money.

Tony grabbed her hand. "Don't worry about it. Besides, you told me you weren't cheap." He added the last part with a cocky grin.

"I guess I did tell you it was gonna cost you."

"See now that's more like it." Tony replied. He pulled his hand back. "Now, what ideas do you have?"

"Just right to it then? No foreplay?" Charity asked, teasing.

Tony laughed and shook his head. "Red definately suits you. You're very spunky."

Charity giggled. "I see, I have to complain to get foreplay."

Tony laughed again. "Okay, now that I've given you some_ foreplay_, why don't you tell me the ideas you have bouncing around in that devious mind of yours?"

Charity sighed playfully. "Well, I guess I can give you this one idea that keeps recurring in my mind."

"Really? What would that be?"

"You know joy buzzers?"

"Do I? I had a one when I was a kid. I got everyone with it. Of Course, one of the guys I got with it was one of my dad's business associates and well, that didn't go over very well." Tony answered. "But that wouldn't do."

"Oh no. I don't mean using one. There's actually this new version that you attach to the bottom of somebody's chair." Charity replied.

"I like the sound of this. I feel that there is more to your plan though." Tony replied, taking on a secretive tone.

Charity grinned. She then explained the rest of her plan to him.

"Oh-ho. This is good." Tony said, when Charity had finished explaining her plan. "Charity Gibbs, you are more than you appear."

She grinned at him. "It's a gift."

"Shall we go buy our supplies?" Tony asked.

"Oh yes definately." Charity answered, a devilish grin on her face.

_Later that day..._

Tony returned to NCIS to find that Gibbs, Ziva, and McGee were out. _I have awesome luck!_ Then he walked over to McGee's desk and began setting everything up. When he was done with McGee's desk, he headed to Ziva's. Pranking Ziva had been a last minute idea. Normally, Tony would have been slightly afraid to prank Ziva, but when Charity had suggested it, he couldn't say no.

Tony calmly walked over to his desk and sat down filling out his paperwork. Gibbs was the first to return. "How's Charity?" He asked.

"She's fine boss." Tony answered. "I took her to get some coffee. She wanted to get out of the house."

Gibbs nodded. "Good work." Then he walked over to his desk and sat down.

Ziva and McGee returned at the same time. "Where have you been, Tony?" Ziva asked.

"Nowhere." Tony answered.

"I feel like we can't trust him." McGee said. "I feel like he's up to something."

"So suspicious McGoober." Tony replied jokingly.

McGee gave Tony a look for a minute, as if what Tony was up to was written all over his face. Then he walked over to his desk and sat down. He jumped in surprise as he felt his seat vibrate and then his leg hit just where Tony knew it would. A button was placed under his desk, which McGee had hit. This button triggered a shower of confetti and silly string to shoot up at McGee.

McGee looked over at Tony. "Really?"

Tony laughed like a mad man. "You should see the look on your face. It's priceless!" Tony howled.

"Real mature Tony." Ziva said. She then made her way over to her desk and sat down. The exact same thing that happened t McGee, happened to Ziva. She glared across the desk at Tony. "You are going to pay for that." She told him, her voice deadly.

Tony looked up at her. "Well, that would be my cue." He said. He rose up and dashed for the elevator.

Ziva and McGee shared a brief look and then dashed after Tony. Before they could get to him, the doors closed. Gibbs sat at his desk, a grin lighting his face.

Tony rode the elevator down to Abby's lab, where Charity was waiting. He walked in, a huge grin on his face.

"I take it our prank went well?" Charity asked.

"Even better." Tony answered.

"Prank?" Abby asked. "What prank?"

"Hold on a sec and I'll show you Abs." Tony answered. "I had to record it."

"Good, I have to see how well my plan went." Charity said.

Tony pulled out his phone. He searched through his emails and found it. He'd had the web cam at his desk record the prank and set it up to send to his phone. He turned the phone so Abby and Charity could see it.

They watched the video. Charity howled with laughter and Abby tried to contain her own laughs. "That wasn't very nice, you guys." She said.

"But it was funny." Charity said, calming her laughter enough to speak.

Just then, Ziva and McGee made their way into the lab. "Tony, you are a dead man." Ziva said.

"Wait a second, you can't kill just Tony." Charity interrupted, having to hide her laughter as Ziva and McGee were still covered in silly string and confetti.

"What are you saying?" Ziva asked.

"It was my idea." Charity answered.

"What?" McGee asked.

"She was the brains of this operation and I was merely the brawn." Tony answered.

Ziva then turned to McGee. They shared a look and then she turned back to Tony and Charity, who were both barely containing their laughter. "This means war. We will get you two back. You won't know when, you won't know where, and you won't know how, but we will get you." She then turned and walked away.

"War is on." McGee said and then followed Ziva.

Tony rubbed his hands together and smiled excitedly. "It appears we have a started a prank war."

Charity smiled up at him. "This is gonna be fun. I haven't been in a prank war since basic."

"I think you and I are going to make a great team in this war." Tony said.

"I think so, too."

Abby observed as Charity and Tony interacted with each other. _They are going to get into so much trouble._ Abby thought. Then she caught sight of the look on Charity's face. She knew that look. She'd seen it on Charity's face before. _She's got a thing for Tony._


	13. Chapter 13

Later, Charity was home once again. She lay in her bed listening to her music and thinking of pranks to use against Ziva and McGee. She was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of someone knocking on her bedroom door.

"Come in." Charity said, assuming it was her father.

"We have got to talk." came Abby's voice as she walked in the door.

Charity sat up. "About what?"

Abby lowered her voice and sat down on the bed and faced Charity. "About this thing going on between you and Tony."

Charity's eyes widened and she started laughing. "Are you serious? There's nothing going on between me and Tony." Charity said, her voice low to match Abby's.

"No, I recognized the way you were looking at him earlier in my lab. You have a thing for him." Abby said.

Charity shook her head. "Abby, we are just having fun."

"I think you guys need to cool whatever is happening." Abby said.

Charity gently placed her hands on Abby's shoulders. She moved her head so that she and Abby's faces were centimeters apart. "Look, there's nothing going on between me and Tony. We are just friends. Besides I have a question for you."

"Okay." Abby said.

Charity leaned back and took her hands from Abby's shoulders and leaned back on them. "Every time I have come home from overseas, how have I been?"

"What do you mean?" Abby asked.

"How have I behaved when I get home from overseas?" Charity asked.

"Not yourself." Abby answered honestly. "Withdrawn and distant. Looking like you carried the weight of the world on your shoulders."

"How have I been behaving since spending time with Tony?"

"Like your old self." Abby answered. "You've been laughing and smiling. The smile has actually been reaching your eyes."

"Exactly, Abby." Charity said. "I'm having fun I haven't had in a long time. I'm laughing like I haven't laughed since basic."

"Just be careful." Abby said. "I love both you guys and I don't want to see either of you get hurt."

"Fun Abby." Charity said. "That's all it is."

Abby gave Charity a hug and then left. Charity fell back on her bed and let out a sigh of relief. She played the conversation they'd just had over in her mind. She'd kept telling Abby that it was all fun. As she thought about it all she wasn't quite sure who she was trying to convince more. Abby or herself?

_The Next week..._

Gibbs drove Charity to the hospital. They were going to do some tests and make sure that her muscles were healing like they were supposed to and if everything looked fine, they would schedule her next surgery.

After they had performed the tests, the doctor came into the room. "Charity, everything seems to be healing the way it's supposed to." The doctor said as he sat down.

"Does that mean that this brace can come off?" Charity asked, hating the huge ugly black contraption that kept her knee bent at a certain angle.

"Yes." He answered. "Of course, it will have to go back on after your next surgery."

"You just had to take away my silver lining." Charity said.

"You'll be brace free for a few days. I'd like to do your next surgery as soon as possible. I was thinking this Friday would be good." The doctor said.

"Okay." Charity consented.

"Make sure to come in here about seven thirty and then we'll get you prepped and have you ready by eight."

"I'm assuming you mean in the morning?" Charity asked, starting to hate getting up early.

"Yes." He answered. "A nurse will be in in just a moment to remove the stitches from the insision."

He shook hands with both Charity and Gibbs and then left. About five minutes later, a nurse came in and took the brace from Charity's knee and then she removed the dressing and finally the stitches. Once she had finished, she gave Charity some papers to sign and then left.

Charity looked down at her bare knee. The wounds created by the shrapnal were mostly healed, except for the largest one. It still had quite a while to go.

"You ready to go, baby girl?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah." Charity nodded. She grabbed her crutches and stood up. She was wearing a t-shirt and jean shorts.

"You wanna come to NCIS with me?" Gibbs asked. "I'm sure Abby and Duckie would be happy to see you."

"Sure Daddy." Charity agreed.

They soon arrived at NCIS. They headed for Abby's lab. "I brought you a visitor, Abs." Gibbs said as he entered the lab.

Abby turned around and watched as Charity hobbled in on her crutches. Abby's gaze immediately went to Charity's knee. "You're braceless!" She then jumped up and hugged Charity.

Charity smiled. "Just for a few days. My next surgery is Friday."

"But still, you're healing! That's great!" Abby said.

Charity smiled.

"You wanna go see Duckie?" Gibbs asked.

"Could you get him to come up here if he's not busy?" Charity asked. "I...I don't think I can go down there."

"Sure." Gibbs answered.

"I'll get him up here." Abby said. "You just go do what you do Gibbs."

A small grin krept across Gibbs's face. "Okay."

Abby got on her phone and called Duckie up. She told him someone wanted to see him. Duckie stepped off the elevator. "Who couldn't come down and see me?" He asked, sounding perplexed and a bit miffed. "I mean, is the morgue really that bad?"

"For me, it is, Duckie." Charity said from the chair she was setting in.

"Oh, Charity, my dear I am so sorry." Duckie replied, walking over and giving her a hug.

"It's okay, Duckie."

_Gibbs..._

Gibbs stepped off the elevator and headed to his desk. "Hey boss." Tont said. "The director called. He told me to tell you to come see him as soon as you got in."

Gibbs nodded and then changed his course, heading for Vance's office. He walked right in without knocking. "You wanted to see me director?" Gibbs said.

"There's a matter that I need you to attend to."

"What would that be?"

"A case has come up, they need your help at the LA office." Vance said. "You'll leave tonight."

"I can't." Gibbs replied.

"They have specifically asked for you Agent Gibbs." Vance said. "I also didn't think I was asking you. I believe I was giving you an order."

"I don't care." Gibbs replied. "Charity has another surgery this Friday."

"I'm sure you can find someone else to take her." Vance said. "Now, go make those arrangements and then go home and pack. You leave in four hours."

Gibbs didn't say a word. He just nodded and headed out the door. He came to find Charity setting at his desk. She was talking and laughing with his team. She looked up at him and noticed that he looked very upset. "Looks like someone woke the bear from hibernation." She said, knowing that she was probably the only person in the world who could get away with saying that tp her father.

"I have to go out of town, tonight." Gibbs told her. "I won't be able to be there for your surgery." Gibbs said.

"That's fine. I can take a cab." Charity said.

"No, you won't." Gibbs said.

"I'll take you." Tony spoke up from his desk.

"Really?" Gibbs, Ziva, and McGee all asked, surprised at Tony.

"Yeah." Tony said. "What time you gotta be there?"

"Seven thirty in the morning." Charity answered.

"Okay." Tony said.

"You fine with that, baby girl?" Gibbs asked.

"Hey, I'm gonna be out of it. I probably won't even notice whose there." She replied.

"And here I thought you like my sparkling personality." Tony said, teasing just as Charity had teased him before.

She grinned. "Well, yeah that, too."

**A/N: I am not a prank master, so if any of you have any ideas for pranks for the prank war, please private message me? Thanks for the reviews. 'm having so much fun writing this story.**


	14. Chapter 14

Friday morning soon arrived and it was time for Charity's second surgery. Gibbs had called her every night to check on her. Abby had spent a couple of nights with her as well. Last night, however, she had insisted that Abby go home. Charuty had needed the time to herself.

She was up and ready, sitting on the couch, when there was a knock on the door. "Come in." She called.

Tony walked in. "You ready to go?" He asked.

"Yeah." She answered. She grabbed her crutches and stood up. She hobbled out the door and to the car.

Tony drove her to the hospital.

"So, how long do you think it's going to be before Ziva and McGee get there revenge?" Charity asked.

"I have no idea." Tony answered. "I think they might be having problems coming up with a plan."

Charity laughed. "I've been thinkong of pranks to use on them."

"You are one evil genious." Tony replied.

"I know. Others have always tried to get me to use my powers for good, but the dark side is so much more fun." She replied.

Tony laughed. "I thought I was supposed to be the one making movie referenses."

Charity grinned devilishly at him. "So?"

Tony laughed.

The rest of the car ride was spent in comfortable silence. They arrived at the hospital. the nurse handed Charity one of the lovely paper gowns with no back. "Change and then someone will be in to give you the anestetic."

"Okay." Charity said.

Tony stepped out of the room to give Charity some privacy.

She changed quickly and sat in the bed. Tony knocked on the door. "Decent or not, I'm coming in." He said. Then he walked in, a hand over his eyes. "I'm not looking." He said.

Charity giggled.

Then he turned in her direction and spread his fingers apart so he could look through them. "Oh, darn, not even a back view of you scrambling before I can look." he teased.

"Sorry, no peep show for you." She teased back.

Tony came and stood over by her bedside. "I couldn't resist."

"You don't have to stay if you don't want to." Charity said.

"What if I want to?" Tony asked.

"That's fine too."

"Besides, I'm waiting for them to drug you up, you might say something you wouldn't normally say. Something funny and embarrassing." Tony teased.

Charity glared playfully at him.

Then a doctor came in and injected Charity's IV with the anestetic. "She'll be out of it in just a little while." He told Tony.

Shortly, Charity was quite loopy and then the nurses were coming in and wheeling her away. Tony sat down in a chair and turned the tv that was up on the wall on. A couple of hours later, they were wheeling Charity back into the room.

"The doctor will be in in just a little bit to speak with you." The nurse told Tony.

Tony nodded and sat and waited.

A few moments later, the doctor entered the room. He looked at Tony, confused. "You're not Mr. Gibbs."

Tony smiled slightly. "He had to go away for work. So until he gets back I'm taking care of Charity."

"I see." The doctor said. "Well, her surgery went well. the brace is back on to keep her from moving the knee. Now she needs to take the brace off a coule of time a day and exercise the knee."

Tony nodded.

The doctor then pulled out a sheet of paper. "These are the exercises I want her to perform. You may have to help her with some of them. In a couple of weeks she needs to come back and we'll perform a few tests and if everything looks fine, we'll schedule her third and hopefully final surgery. We should be releasing her tomorrow."

"Okay." Tony said, nodding.

The doctor then left the room. Tony went back to his seat and turned the television back on. After about twenty minutes, he heard Charity groan. He got up and walked over to her. "Are you feeling okay?" He asked.

"Fine." She answered, her voice groggy. "I want to tell you something."

"Okay, what is it?" Tony asked.

"Thank you for coming with me, today and for staying." She said, her eyes still closed.

"You're welcome. Like I said though, I'm waiting for you to say something while you're under the influence."

Charity smiled. Then she opened her eyes and looked up at him.

He could tell by the look in her eyes that she was still most definately under the influence of the medicine.

"You're a cutie." She said.

Tony laughed. "I knew you'd say something." He said, not at all taking her seriously.

Charity laughed, too. She was really glad that Tony had come and was keeping her company.


	15. Chapter 15

A few days later, Charity sat on the couch in her living room. She was working on some of her knee exercises. Gibbs still hadn't returned from LA, but he called her every night to check in on her.

Abby spent every night with her and Tony would come and visit with her on his lunch. Charity looked out the window and noticed large gray clouds in the sky. "Looks like it's gonna rain today.' She said to herself.

"I believe talking to yourself is one of the levels of insanity." Tony said, walking in the room.

Charity jumped slightly, startled by his sudden appearance. "Well, as long as I dpn't start arguing with myself, I think I'll be good." She replied.

"So, are you ready to get out of here?" Tony asked.

Charity raised an eyebrow. "Don't tease me unless you can deliver, Tony."

Tony laughed. He knew Charity was going crazy being locked up in the house all day. "I plan on delivering. You like movies?"

"Who doesn't?" Charity replied.

"Okay, put that brace on and we're going to my place. Order some pizza and watch a movie." Tony said.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Charity said. She grabbed her brace and replaced it on her knee. She slipped on a pair of shoes and grabbed her crutches.

Tony helped her to the car and then got in and drove to his apartment. When they were about a block away, the sky opened up and down-poured. Tony drove cautiously to his place. He parked as close as he could to the building.

"It looks like we are going to get really wet." He observed.

Charity nodded her agreement.

Tony got out of the car and ran around to Charity's side. He pulled out her crutches and then helped her out. They moved as quickly as they could from the car to the building. By the time they were inside, they were both completely drenched and laughing about it.

They made their way to Tony's apartment and he unlocked the door. "I have some extra clothes you could borrow and we can throw those in the dryer." Tony said once they were inside his place.

"Okay." Charity agreed, her teeth chattering.

Tony headed to his bedroom and grabbed an old gray t-shirt a pair of basketball shorts for Charity. He popped the heat on and then headed to the front room, where Charity still stood. "This way." He said and led her to the bathroom. He put the clothes on the sink. "You can wear these for a little while. I'll come in and grab your wet clothes and toss them in the dryer."

"Okay, thanks." She said.

Tony stepped out of the bathroom and went to change his clothes. He came back out when he was ready and sat down on the couch and waited. Charity came out just a few minutes later, wearing the t-shirt, but not the shorts.

Tony had to take in a deep breath and couldn't take his eyes away from her.

"The shorts fell off." Charity said.

Tony nodded. Then he stood up and went and grabbed her wet clothes and tossed them in the dryer. He couldn't help but to notice that both her bra and panties were among the wet clothing. "I'm in so much trouble." he mumbled to himself.

Tony took a deep breath and then returned to the living room. Charity was looking over his movie collection. "Impressive." She said, turning to look at him.

Tony smiled. "Anything sound good to you?" He asked. "You pick the movie."

Charity reached over and plucked a movie from the shelf. "This one."

Tony looked at the cover. "Good choice. So what kind of pizza do you like?"

"Extra cheese and extra pepperoni." She answered.

"You're missing one thing there." Tony replied.

"What's that?"

"Sausage."

"I've never had sausage on a pizza."

"Okay, that's it, we have to get some sausage in you now." Tony said.

Charity giggled. "Really?"

Tony gave her a look. "You, my dear, have a dirty mind. I like that."

Charity grinned. "I try."

"But seriously, are you open to sausage?"

Charity kaughed again, her dirty mind getting the better of her. "Okay."

"You really need to clean that brain of yours." he told her.

"What can I say, you bring it out of me."

Tony wasn't sure what to say to that. So he pulled out his cell phone and ordered the pizza. The pizza soon arrived and Tony was popping the movie in the dvd player.

Charity sat on the couch waiting. Tony came and sat down beside her. He opened the pizza box and handed Charity a slice. "Get ready for the best pizza experience of your life." He told her.

"It's gonna be that good, huh?" She asked.

Tony nodded.

"Better than sex?" She asked, as Tony took a bite of his own slice.

Tony almost spit out his pizza and looked shocked.

Charity laughed at him.

"I wouldn't go that far." Tony replied.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it." She said and then took a bite of the pizza. "You're right this is better pizza."

Tony smiled at her. "I told you."

They then watched the movie and ate the pizza in silence. After the movie was over, Tony went to check on Charity's clothes. They still weren't dry. He then looked out the window. It was still raining hard. He returned to the living room, where Charity had turned to the news.

"This storm isn't going to let up." She said looking up at him. "One of the roads back to my house is flooded."

"So, it looks like you're stuck here for the night." Tony said.

"It would appear that way." Charity replied.

_I am in so much trouble._ Tony thought as he looked at Charity, sitting there in his shirt, on his couch, her red hair drying and looking like a beautiful mess.


	16. Chapter 16

Tony moved to set back on the couch by Charity. They both sat in silence for a moment, watching the news reporter. Then the screen suddenly went black and all the lights went off, leaving the pair in the dark.

"I'll be right back." Tony said, pulling a flashlight from the drawer next to the table.

"Okay." Charity replied calmly.

Tony went and grabbed some candles and matches out of his kitchen and brought them to the living room. He set the candles down on the table and handed the flashlight to Charity. She aimed it so he could see what he was doing. Tony struck a match and lit the candles.

"That's better." Charity observed. She turned the flashlight off and Tony sat back down next to her.

"While I was up, I grabbed these." Tony said, lifting up a deck of cards. "Are you up for a game of poker?"

Charity's face lit up and she smiled devilishly. "Strip poker?"

Tony laughed. "While that's a temptong offer, I think we should just play regular poker."

"Damn." Charity replied with a laugh.

"You are something else." Tony said as he shuffled and dealt the cards.

"Why thank you." She told him.

They sat and played poker and a few other card games for a little while, talking and laughing and flirting majorly. In the middle of one hand, Charity's cell rang. She looked at the caller id. "It's dad, I'd better take this."

Tony nodded and waited while Charity answered her phone.

"Hi, Daddy." She answered.

"Hi, baby girl. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. What about you?"

"Ready to come home. You were gone for so long and now you're home and I'm gone."

"I know, but I'm going to be home for quite a while. I still have at least one more surgery to go and who knows how many weeks of physical therapy."

"I know, but for all I know you could be gone again soon."

"Dad, please don't do this. You're killing me."

Gibbs laughed. "I'll be home as soon as I can. So how is everybody taking care of you?"

"Great." Charity answered. "Abby's been staying with me at night and Tony comes and checks on me during the day."

"Good." Gibbs replied. "Well, I have to go. I love you, baby girl."

"Love you, too, Daddy." Charity then hit the end call button.

"Checking up on you?" He asked.

"Yup, he has every night since he had to leave." Charity answered. "He feels guilty having to be gone right now."

"Alright, let's get back to this card game." Tony said.

"And me kicking your butt." Charity replied.

"Not by much." Tony said.

Just as they were beginning the game again, Charity's phone rang again. She looked at the screen. "Abby."

"You'd better get that or she might freak out on you." Tony said.

Charity nodded and hit the accept button. "Hey Abby, what's up?"

"I'm stuck at NCIS. The roads are flooded. I hate leaving you all alone." Abby said.

"I'm not alone." Charity replied.

"Is Gibbs home?" Abby asked, excitedly.

"No, I'm with Tony."

"At your place?"

"No."

"His?"

"Yes."

"Oh my goodness! Are you nuts? What are you doing there?" Abby asked, sounding a little crazy herself.

"Calm down, Abby. As for my sanity, the jury is still out, but I'm here because I needed a change of scenary."

"Nothing happening?"

"No." Charity answered, although she didn't fully believe herself.

"Okay, it better stay that way."

"Yes mother." Charity replied, in a sarcastic tone.

"Charity Faith..." Abby began.

"Yup right there, you go. Welp, my phone is dying. Got to go bye Abby." Charity said and then hung up the phone.

Tony gave her a curious look. "From what you were saying, that sounded like an interesting conversation."

Charity laughed. "Is there such a thing as an uninteresting conversation with Abby?"

"True." Tony replied. "So, are we ready to finish this game or do you think anyone else will call?"

Charity grinned and picked up her phone. She hit the power button. "No one else is going to call."

Tony laughed and then he and Charity continued their game. after a while longer, Charity let out a yawn. "You ready for bed?" Tony asked her.

"I think so."

"Okay, let me go grab a pillow and blanket. Then you can have the bed and I'll take the couch." He told her starting to get up.

"Oh, no. I couldn't put you out like that." Charity said. "This couch will be just fine for me."

"I insist that you take my bed." Tony said.

"We aren't going to get anywhere like this." Charity said. "So, I propose we compromise."

"Okay, and just what is your compromise?"

"While some may not agree, but we are both adults here. We could both sleep in the bed." Charity replied.

You just want to get me into bed." Tony teased her.

"While that may be true," Charity teased back, "I would feel bad if you slept out here on the couch."

Tony thought for a moment. "Okay, we can go with your idea."

"Okay." Charity replied, grabbing her crutches and pulling herslf up. She then followed Tony to the bedroom. "Before we go to bed, I have to warn you." Charity said as she hobbled to one side of the bed and Tony headed for the other.

"What is it you have to warn me about?" Tony asked.

"I have been told that while there are two different sides of the bed, I don't always stay on the side, I'm supposed to. I'm a cuddler."

"Really?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, apparently I get cold when Im asleep and my body just rolls to the closest source of heat."

"Who told you this?" Tony asked.

"Abby." Charity answered.

"I should have known." Tony said luaghing and sliding into the bed.

Charity sat down on the bed and began to remove her brace.

Tony couldn't help but let his eyes wander to her long, lean, sexy legs. He also couldn't help but imagine how they would feel wrapped around his waist. _She's Gibbs's daughter. Gibbs's daughter._ Tony chanted over and over in his head. _But it would so be worth it._ Krept through his mind.

A war began to ensue inside Tony. He was attracted to Charity, but he knew Gibbs would kill him.

Charity looked up at him, a question in her eyes. "What are you so deep in thought about over there?" She asked.

Tony slowly slid his gaze up her body and to her face. He eyes lingered on her lips, they were fully and pouty, begging to be kissed. Then his eyes met hers, her eyes holding a playfulness and something else, he wasn;t quite sure about. A strand of hair fell into her face. _That's it! Consequences be damned!_ Tony thought.

He reached his hand over to brush away the stray hair. "I was just thinking about how much trouble you're going to get me into." Tony replied, his hand lingering in her hair.

Charity's face suddenly became flushed and a playful look, tinged by desire, came into her eyes. "What kind of trouble?" She asked.

"All kinds." Tony answered, a smile on his face. Then without a thought, he leaned forward and touched his lips to hers.


	17. Chapter 17

"What kind of trouble?" Charity heard herself ask.

"All kinds." Tony answered, smiling. Then he began to lean in.

Charity's heart raced in anticipation as Tony inched closer. When his lips finally met hers, she thought her heart might just leap right our of her chest. She'd been denying her attraction to him as best as she could, but she couldn't hide it any longer. So, she dove in head first.

Her arms wrapped around his neck and her lips moved with his. she felt his toung trace the line of her lips. She parted them slightly and he slid in. _Oh! It's been so long since I've been kissed! _She moaned internally. _And I've never been kissed like this!_

All too soon, Tony broke the kiss and pulled back to gaze at a breathless Charity. He grinned at her. "So much trouble." He said, panting.

"Is it worth it?" She asked.

"Oh yes." Tony answered. He reached over and cupped Charity's cheek.

"I hoped you would say that." She said, loving the feel of his hand on her cheek.

Tony leaned in again, claiming her lips with his. One of his hands began to slowly slide down her back. Charity felt her heart rate quicken and panic take over. She pulled away quickly.

"I'm sorry." Tony said, realizing that he had gone too far.

"I...I'm sorry too." She replied. "It's just...I'm..." She struggled to find the right words.

"Not ready?" Tony suggested.

"Kind of." She replied. Then she let out a sigh. "I don't just sleep around. When I take that step with a guy it means something."

Tony nodded. "I can respect that and I can wait." He told her. "Besides, I haven't even taken you out on one date yet." He tagged on at the end.

"Thank you." Was all she could think to say. Part of her wanted to take everything she'd just said back and jump him right then and there, but she also knew that she wouldn't respect herself if she did. _But hot damn! I've never wanted a man so bad in my entire life! And it's been two years._ She thought to herself.

They stayed up a little while longer and talked and shared several more kisses. Then they fell asleep, Charity snuggling up to Tony as soon as she was out.

Tony woke the next morning to a pounding on his front door. He looked down and saw Charity, sound asleep in his arms. He reluctantly untangled himself from Charity and headed to answer the door. "I'm coming." He called somewhat grumpy.

He opened the door to reveal Abby standing on the other side. "What are you doing here this early?" Tony asked her.

"Where's Charity?" She asked, walking in past Tony.

"I was asleep until someone came in and started making a lot of noise." Charity said, coming from the bedroom, on her crutches.

Abby took in Charity's appearance and then looked about the room. She noticed the candles on the table. "Oh no! I'm too late!"

Tony and Charity exchanged confused glances. "Too late for what, Abby?" Tony asked.

"To keep you guys from sleeping together!" Abby answered.

Tony and Charity both laughed. "We didn't sleep together, Abby. At least not in that sense." Tony replied.

"What do you mean?" Abby asked.

"We slept in the same bed, but that's all we did was sleep." Charity replied.

"But you're wearing his shirt." Abby protested.

"Yeah, but that's because my clothes got drenched by the rain last night." Charity told Abby.

"What about the candles?" She asked pointing to the table.

"The power went out last night." Tony answered.

"So, nothing happened last night?" Abby asked.

"No." Tony lied. He and Charity had agreed that they would keep their relationship a secret until they were ready to tell Gibbs.

"So, I've been up all night worried for nothing?" Abby asked.

"Right." Charity replied.

Abby threw her hands up in the air. "The world makes no sense anymore!"

Tony gently grabbed Abby's shoulders and turned her to face him. "Go home and get some rest."

"Okay." Abby agreed. She walked out the door and headed back to her car.

Once she was gone, Tony looked at Charity, a questioning look in his gaze. "Is that what she had called about last night?"

Charity smiled. "Well, only after I told her I was here."

Tony laughed. "So, when do you want to go on that date?"

"Tomorrow night?" She asked.

"Okay." Tony agreed. "Dinner and a movie?"

"Sounds great."


	18. Chapter 18

Tony had dropped Charity off at her house before heading to work. Charity went straight to her room to grab a few things. Then she headed for the bathroom and showered and changed. She then headed back down the stairs and sat down on the couch. She popped her headphones in her ears and turned on her ipod.

She let out a sigh as she leaned back. She allowed the music to infuse and relax her. Before long, she was sound asleep. She woke back up a couple of hours later. She had been moved into a different position and had a blanket on her. She sat up and pulled her head phones out and turned the ipod off.

She then looked around, trying to figure out who was there. She heard some movement in the kitchen. Charity grabbed her crutches and headed in that direction. She was surprised when she found her dad rummaging through the fridge.

"Hey baby girl." He said, shutting the fridge and smiling at his daughter.

"Hey, Daddy." She said. "When'd you get home?"

"About an hour ago. How's your knee doing?"

"Fine." She answered.

Gibbs walked over to his daughter and pulled her in for a hug. "I'm glad to be home."

"I'm glad you're home, too." She replied. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too." He then kissed the top of her head. "Are you hungry?"

"Not at the moment." She answered.

"Movie then?" Gibbs asked.

"Sure. You pick." She told her father.

They made their way to the living room and Gibbs popped in an old western. Then while the credits were playing he went to make a bag of popcorn. While he was up, Charity sent Tony a text.

_Dad came home._

A few moments later, he replied. **Rescheduling tomorrow night then?**

_I hate to, but yes._

**I understand. We'll figure this out.**

_Thanks. Maybe this weekend?_

**That sounds great. It's actually supposed to be nice. Maybe a picnic?**

_Okay, that would be fun. I have to go._

**Ok, see you later.**

Gibbs stepped into the room with the popcorn. He sat down by Charity and placed an arm around her shoulders. Charity laid her head on her father's shoulder. They ate the popcorn and watched the movie.

They spent some more father-daughter time together before going to bed. When Charity slid into her bed, she let out a sigh. Then she thought about her kiss with Tony the previous night. It sent thrills of pleasure through her body just thinking about it. _Damn, I want him._ She thought. Then she drifted off to sleep and had some steamy dreams about Tony.


	19. Chapter 19

The next few days passed by very slowly for Tony and Charity. They had planned their date for Saturday and neither one could wait for that day to get here. When Saturday finally arrived, Charity was up in her room getting dressed. She pulled on a pair of jeans, a red tank top with a white short sleeve shirt over top and a pair of flats.

She came down the stairs and found her dad getting ready to head to the basement. "You're all dressed up." Gibbs noticed.

Charity smiled at her dad. "I was just getting ready to head out." She replied. "It's such a nice day and I need to get out of this house for a little while."

"You want me to come with you?" Gibbs asked.

"No, I think I just need to be by myself for a little while." she answered. "You know since I've been home everyone has been hovering over me. You and Abby are the worst." She added the last part with a grin.

Gibbs lifted one side of his mouth in a crooked grin. "You at least want me to drive you?"

"No, I'll call a cab." She answered.

"Okay." Gibbs said. He walked over to his daughter and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Have fun. I love you, baby girl."

"I love you, too, Daddy." She replied.

Gibbs headed for the basement to work on his boat and Charity pulled out her cell phone and called a cab. _Oh, how I hate lying to my dad._ She thought, but then she thought of what his reaction might be if he found out she were going on a date with his senior field agent. _One step at a time._

The cab soon arrived and Charity told the driver to head for the park. The cab driver nodded and took Charity where she wanted to go. Charity paid the man and then got out of the cab. she found Tony sitting at a picnic table not too far away and hobbled over to him.

He was wearing jeans and a navy blue shirt. When he saw Charity coming over to the table, he stood up and smiled at her. She couldn't help but to smile back at him. When she got close enough, Tony put his hand between her shoulders and then kissed the top of her head. Then he helped her to set down and then took a seat beside her.

"So, has this been a long week for you, too?" He asked, a teasing smile on his face.

"You have no idea." Charity answered, smiling back. "So, what are we eating?"

Tony held up a white paper take out bag in one hand and a drink carrier in the other. He sat them down on the table and handed Charity a drink and straw. Then he opened up the bag and pulled out the contents. "Cheeseburger and fries."

Charity's eyes widened and her mouth began to water. "It has been so long since I've had a cheeseburger and fries."

Tony grinned mischieviously at her. "I'm guessing it's been a while since you've had a lot of things." He teased.

Charity's cheeks reddened. "Why do I feel like we're not talking about food anymore?"

"Because you have a very dirty mind." He answered, handing Charity her burger. "But I assure you, I am talking about food." He added the last part, feining innocence.

Charity laughed. "Yeah, sure and I'm naturally a blond."

Tony laughed. "You are a pistol."

Charity grinned. "I do my best. I have to keep you on your toes."

"Oh, you are. You are." He replied, grinning.

Charity then turned her attention to the burger in front of her. She unwrapped it and lifted it in both of her hands. "You know it's good when you have to take it in both hands." she said.

Tony couldn't resist. "That's what she said."

Charity's cheeks reddened once again as she realized what she'd said. Then she placed the burger down on the wrapping and playfully slapped Tony's arm. "Now, who has the dirty mind?" She teased.

"Guilty as charged." He answered. "Are you going to arrest and frisk me now?"

Charity grinned. "No, I'm gonna let you off with a warning...just this once."

"Oh, thank you officer. You're too kind."

They both laughed. Once their laughter had calmed, they both turned their attention to the food in front of them. Charity bit into her burger first. "Mmmmm..." She said as she chewed. Once she swallowed she looked over at Tony. "Best burger ever."

Tony smiled at her. "Well, I'm glad you like it."

Once they finished their meal, they sat and talked for a couple of hours. Then Charity decided she'd better go home. She called a cab and it soon arrived. Tony walked with her to the cab. "See you later." He said, kissing her lips.

"Later." She replied. They shared one last kiss and then Charity got into the cab and went home.

Tony stood there, staring after the cab for a little while. _She looked so good._ Tony thought. Then he thought about all of the steamy dreams he'd been having of her since the night she spent at his place. Thinking about those dreams suddenly made him feel rather warm. He pulled at his shirt collar, trying to get some air. _I may die of a heat stroke soon._ He thought. _I have never wanted a woman so bad in my life._


	20. Chapter 20

Charity sat in the hospital awaiting the results of her latest tests. She wasn't quite sure why, but she had insisted that he not go with her and he go to work. She had taken a cab. After a few minutes, the doctor entered the room.

"Hello, Charity. How are you doing today?" He asked.

"Why don't you tell me, Doc." She replied.

"Well, everything appears to be healing just fine." He answered. "We can schedule your next surgery for next Tuesday."

"Do you think it will be my final surgery?" She asked.

"I hope so." He answered. "So, which one of your care givers will be with you next week?"

"I honestly don't know." She answered.

"Welp, we'll need you in here at six in the morning and we'll get you into surgery by seven." He told her.

Charity nodded. "How long do you think this surgery will take?"

"Probably a couple of hours. You actually won't be knocked out. You however won't remember the surgery."

"So, I'll be loopy but conscious." Charity clarified.

"Exactly."

Charity soon left the doctor's office and then took a cab to NCIS. She knew her dad would be anxious to know what was going on with her surgery.

_Gibbs..._

Gibbs sat at his desk looking between his cell phone and the phone setting on his desk as if that could make Charity call. She had insisted on going to her doctor's appointment by herself and he had no idea why. It seemed she didn't either.

"Staring at that phone isn't going to make it ring, Gibbs." Ziva said.

Gibbs just gave her his signature Gibbs look. Then he went back to looking at his phones. "There is no need for me to call when I'm right here." came Charity's voice.

Gibbs looked up at his daughter. "So, what's the news?"

"Next Tuesday is my third and hopefully final surgery." Charity answered. "Then after that, who knows how many weeks of physical therapy."

Gibbs nodded. "What time you have to be in?" He asked.

"I have to be in at six in the morning that way they can have me ready to go by seven."

"Okay, DiNozzo looks like you're in charge next Tuesday." Gibbs said.

"Right boss." Tony replied.

"I better go see Abby. She'll kill me if I don't come and let her know what's going on." Charity said.

"Okay, come back up here and I'll take you home when you're ready to go." Gibbs told his daughter.

"That's fine Dad. I can take a cab."

Gibbs gave his daughter a look.

"Okay." Charity agreed. Then she started heading for the elevator.

"I need to go see Duckie about something." Tony said, getting up suddenly. Then he walked to the elevator with Charity.

They both got on, the only ones on the elevator. Once the doors closed and the car started moving down, Tony pushed the button and stopped the elevator. Charity looked at him confused and then he gave her an almost preditory smile. A moment of wordless communication passed between them and then Tony's arms snaked around Charity's waist and he pushed her back against the wall, causing her crutches to clatter to the floor, and devoured her lips with his.

Charity's arms wrapped around Tony's neck and her hands fisted in his hair. She pulled herself as close to him as she possibly could. She couldn't get enough of him and he couldn't get enough of her. After several intense moments, Tony pulled back and broke the kiss, panting.

Charity met his hungry gaze, panting and dying for more. She wanted all of him, but she knew it wasn't the right time yet. _Oh man, I have got it bad for him._ She thought. "What have you done to me Anthony DiNozzo?" She asked.

Tony laughed and shook his head, still supporting her. "I think the better question would be, What have you done to me Charity Gibbs?"


	21. Chapter 21

The next Tuesday soon arrived and Gibbs was driving Charity to the hospital. They arrived and Charity was soon prepped and ready for her surgery. Once they were ready for her, the nurses came and took Charity to the operating room.

Gibbs sat in the room and waited. The sugery was soon over and the nurses were bringing Charity back into the room. She had a smile on her face and the nurses were laughing. Gibbs looked at the nurses with a question in his eyes.

"We play music during surgery and she was singing along." One of the nurses explained.

Gibbs nodded. The nurses then parked the bed and explained that the doctor would be in when the medication wore off and Charity would be more aware. Then they left. Gibbs walked over to his daughter's bed side. "Hey baby girl." He said.

"Hi Daddy." She said, a dopey smile on her face.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Wonderful." She answered and then giggled. "Whatever this stuff is that they gave me is just amazing! I mean I have never felt this great before!"

Gibbs chuckled lightly. "Well, as long as you're not in any pain that's good."

Charity's face then became serious. "You are the best Dad in the world." She told him.

"Okay." Gibbs replied.

"No, I mean it. No wait you're even better than that." She said. "There is no dad in the history of dads that is as good as you are."

"Okay, I think you need to go to sleep." Gibbs told her.

Charity nodded. "Okay." Then she closed her eyes and fell right to sleep.

A few short hours later, the doctor came in and Charity was awake. "So, how is my favorite patient?" He asked.

"I'm fine." She answered. "So, what's the verdict Doc? Is this my last surgery?"

"I can't say for sure, but everything seems to be going just fine." He answered. Then he pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to her. "This is the address and time of your appointment for your physical therapy."

Charity looked over the paper. "Okay, how long do you think I'll be in physical therapy?" She asked.

"I'm not sure yet. I want you to get to working with the therapist first and then I'll get with him or her and then we'll discuss that." The doctor answered.

Charity nodded. "Alright. Is there anything else?"

"Nope, just keep doing those exercises I gave you and make sure you get to those appointments." He answered.

"Okay, thank you, doctor." She said.

The doctor nodded and shook her hand and then he shook Gibbs's hand. A little while later a food was delivered to Charity's room. "I'm starving." She said as she lifted the cover. What she found however was very disappointing. "I ate better when I was deployed."

Gibbs laughed. Just then Tony and Ziva walked in the room. Tony had a cup of coffee in one hand and a carry-out bag in another. He set the bag in front of Charity. "I know how disgusting hospital food can be." He said with a wink.

Charity opened the bag and pulled out the burger and fries. "Thank you." She said.

Ziva walked closer and handed Charity a bouquet of flowers. "These are from McGee and me." She said.

Without a thought Charity took the flowers and put them to her face. She stuck her nose in and inhaled. "Thank you. That was very thoughtful of you guys." She said pulling her face away to reveal a rather large black spot on her nose.

Everyone started to laugh as she looked around the room. "What?" She asked.

Then she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror on the wall. "Well, played David. Well played." She said.

Ziva smiled. "Why thank you." She said.

Tony took a sip of his coffee. "That was actually pretty good." He said with a smile.

"Did you give him that coffee, Ziva?" Charity asked.

"No, McGee picked it up this morning." Ziva answered.

"Why would you..." Tony began then he too looked over in the mirror. His teeth were a lovely black. "Oh, you and probie are going to pay for that." Tony told Ziva.

"It looks like the war has begun." Charity said, grinning.

"And we are so gonna win." Tony said, raising his hand for a hugh five.

Charity reached her hand up and smacked it to Tony's.

"So, when are you getting out of here?" Tony asked, Charity.

"Tomorrow morning." She replied.

"How about I come pick you up and we do some plotting?" He asked.

"That sounds like a plan to me." Charity answered grinning.

"So, you're going to make me go to work tomorrow, then?" Gibbs asked.

"Yup, we have a war to win here." Charity told her father.

Gibbs shook his head. "Just leave me out of this war."

"Got it boss." Tony said.

"Right, Dad."

Ziva laughed. "You two will lose this war."

"Bring it." Charity replied.


	22. Chapter 22

The next couple of weeks passed and Tony and Charity were spending a lot of time together. They had lunch together several times and had gone out to see a couple of movies together. Officially they had had six dates.

Charity's dreams of Tony had continued to get steamier and whenever she woke up from them she'd felt like she was on fire. She wasn't sure if the seventh date was okay to go ahead witht he next step or not. _Rule number four._ Came through her mind. _I have to talk to somebody._

She got up and got dressed. She hobbled down the stairs and found her dad setting at the table drinking his first cup of coffee. "Morning baby girl."

"Morning daddy." She replied. "Do you mind if I come with you to NCIS? I need to talk to Abby about something."

"You want to talk to me about it?" Gibbs asked.

"Girl stuff." Charity answered.

"Got it." Gibbs replied and let it drop.

After a little while longer, they headed out the door and were on their way to NCIS.

_Abby..._

Abby was in her lab and Ziva had come to visit with her, as she was caught up on her case reports. They were talking, when they heard the sound of Charity's crutches coming down the hall.

"Hello Charity." Ziva greeted.

"Hi Ziva." Charity replied.

"So, what's up?" Abby asked.

"I need to talk to you." Charity answered.

"Oooh, this should be good." Abby said, seeing the look on Charity's face.

"Is this something you want me to leave for or is it all right if I stay?" Ziva asked.

Charity thought about it for a moment. Then she sighed. "You can stay."

Abby got up and shut the door to her lab and then turned her music up so no one could hear their conversation. She then motioned to a chair. "Come have a seat on my _couch_." Abby said. "Let Doctors Abby and Ziva help you with all of your problems."

Charity couldn't help but grin as she made her way over to the chair.

"Okay, so what's going on?" Ziva asked.

Charity sighed again. "Well, there's this guy..."

"I knew this would be good." Abby said.

Charity gave Abby a look.

"Sorry, go on." Abby replied.

"We've been seeing each other for a little while..."

"How come you haven't told me about him before?" Abby asked.

"I don't know...I just didn't feel that it was that important." Charity said.

"What's his name?" Abby asked. "Do I know him?"

"No you don't know him." Charity answered. "Now, will you please let me get my problem out or not?"

"Okay, sorry." Abby said, throwing her hands up in surrender.

"Well, we've decided to take things slow and I've been having some really crazy sexy dreams about him..." Charity said.

"What kind of dreams?" Ziva asked.

"Well, there's one where he's a firefighter and I'm on fire and he comes at me with this big long hose and puts the fire out." Charity replied.

Ziva raised an eyebrow. "That sounds really symbolic."

Charity nodded. "There's others too, but their a little more literal."

"Got it." Ziva and Abby both said.

"Anyway, I have never wanted a man as much as I have this guy, but I'm not sure if it's the right time." Charity said.

"How many dates have you been on?" Abby asked.

"Six." Charity answered. "And I've been living like a nun for the last two years if you catch my drift."

Abby and Ziva's eyes both widened. "Normally, I would say that you have waited long enough now, but factoring in the two years without, the third date would have been acceptable." Abby said.

"Really?" Ziva said. "With the two years, I would have said that the first date would have been acceptable."

"So, I'm not being slutty?" Charity asked.

"No." Abby and Ziva said in unison.

Then Ziva turned to Charity. "How did you go two years without? If you don't mind my asking."

"Well, when you're overseas and all the men in your camp are married or gay, you kinda learn to live without." Charity answered.

"That would definately do it." ZIva replied.

"Now go call or text this man and get the ball on the roll." Abby said. "You need him, bad."

Charity grinned. "Okay. Thanks for the talk. Oh and please keep this to yourselves."

They both nodded.

Then Charity got up and hobbled on her crutches out of the lab. She got on the elevator and once the doors closed she pushed the button and stopped the elevator. She pulled out her cell phone and noticed that Tony had sent her a text.

**Dinner tonight? You pick the place.**

_Sounds great. How about your place?_

It took Tony a minute to respond, but then he sent back: **As long as you're sure.**

_Yeah, I'm sure._

**Sounds great. Seven?**

_Perfect._

**See you then.**

Charity put her phone away and let out a sigh. Suddenly she was incredibly nervous. _What if it's been too long and I suck? Or is it like riding a bike?_ Then the dreams she's been having of Tony came through her mind and she suddenly felt very hot. _I have got to get this fire put out._


	23. Chapter 23

Later that day, Charity was in her room, going through her dresser drawers. She was sorting through all of the white cotton. "They have got to be in here somewhere." She spoke allowed to herself.

She was about ready to give up when she finally spotted the mint green lace. "Note to self, buy some more sexy underwear. One set bra and panty set is not enough." She then tossed the items on her bed and went to her closet.

"Now, what to wear over those?" She said and then began rummaging through her closet, leaning against the door frame. "And I really need to quit talking to myself."

She finally decided on a pair of figure hugging jeans and a green tank top and a white shirt over it. She tossed the items on her bed and then made her way over to her bed to start changing.

_Tony..._

Tony stepped out of his shower and dried off. He applied some cologne and then got dressed. He wore a pair of jeans and a brown button-up shirt. Then he went to work on getting the apartment ready.

He pulled his phone out and ordered dinner. Then he set candles on the table and lit them. Then he went through his apartment and made sure everything was clean and ready for the big night. He then went to his bedroom and made sure he had all the supplies they would need.

"Okay, everything is ready." He said allowed. Then there was a knock on the door. He went and answered it. The delivery boy with the food stood on the other side. Tony paid the kid and took the food. Tony sat the food on the table and went through one last check of making sure everything was ready.

_Charity..._

Once she was ready, Charity began to head down the steps. She grabbed her crutches once she was at the bottom and started for the living room, where Gibbs sat reading the paper and drinking another cup of coffee.

"Going somewhere?" Gibbs asked, looking up.

"Yeah, I don't know how long all be gone. So, don't wait up." She answered.

"Okay." Gibbs said. He got up and headed over to his daughter. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Have fun."

"I will. Love you, Daddy."

"Love you, too, baby girl."

Charity then headed out the door and to the cab she had called. Charity had been going out and not telling him where for a couple of weeks now. It wasn't like her, but he also knew that when you went to war you came back changed. He knew whatever was going on with her, she would tell him when she was ready.

_Tony..._

Tony had just set down on his couch, when there was a knock on his door. He opened the door and found Charity there. "Hi." She said, smiling.

Tony smiled back at her and stepped aside to allow her entrance. As she made her way into the apartment, he couldn't help but notice her extra tight jeans. "Hell-o." He said, unable to stop it from coming out like that. He shut the door. "So, I hope you like Italian." He said, walking over to the couch and gestured to the table in front of it with the delicious looking spread.

"You have no idea how much I like Italian." Charity answered with a devilish grin, as she made her way to the couch and sat down next to him.

Tony picked up on the double meaning of her words and couldn't help but grin back. "I hope you're not disappointed." He said.

"I'm sure I won't be." She replied.

Tony had to take in a deep breath. She was turning him on with every little thing she did and said. He wasn't sure if he could make it through dinner.

Charity grinned at him, realizing what she was doing to him and loving every minute of it. "So, what exactly did you get to eat?" She asked.

Tony had to swallow to clear the lump that had lidged itself in his throat. "Only the best lasagna and bread sticks in town." He answered, lifting the covers from the dishes.

The pair dug into the dishes and began to eat. They talked and laughed, their exchanges full of inuendos. "You have some sauce on the corner of your mouth." Tony said, leaning in to lick the sauce from Charity's face. He pulled back, but kept his face only centimeters from hers.

Charity let out a breath and felt her heart rate speed up. "For once in my life...I'm not really all that hungry." She breathed.

Tony grinned. "Really? Because I'm ravenous." Then his lips were on hers. His hands found their way to her shoulders and slipped under the over shirt and slipped it off.

Charity's fingers moved to his shirt and began to undo the buttons. Then she slid it off of his shoulders. Tony broke the kiss. He stood and scooped Charity up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. He laid her on the bed and started to climb on top of her. His lips descended upon hers once more and then he slipped his finger tips under the tail of her tank top and removed it.

Charity's hands moved to undo Tony's belt and his pants. He helped her remove his pants and then he started to unbutton her jeans. Just then Tony's phone began to go off. He ignored it and continued to undress Charity. His cell quit ringing and then his house phone began to ring. He let it ring.

Then he and Charity both heard the voice on the machine clear as day... "Rule number three DiNozzo." Gibbs said, sounding angry.

Tony reluctantly pulled away from Charity and ran to pick up the phone. "Hey boss. What's up?"

"We have a case." Gibbs answered. "Why didn't you pick up your cell?"

"I was kinda in the middle of something..." Tony began.

"Well drop it and get your butt to Quantico." Gibbs ordered. "Now." Then the line went dead.

Tony hung up the phone and looked over at Charity, an almost pained look on his face.

"You have to go." She stated.

"Yes." Tony groaned. His gaze roaved over Charity's body, taking in the small scraps of lace that kept him from seeing all of her. _I am going to die._ He thought.

"When do you think you'll be back?" She asked, hoping that maybe she could just stay and wait for him to come back and they could pick up where they left off.

"I have no idea." Tony answered.

Charity sat up. "Call me when the case is over."

Tony grinned at her. It appeared she was just as anxious as he was, if not more so. "Don't worry I will."


	24. Chapter 24

After Tony left, Charity headed home and took a long cold shower. Then she got into bed, but she couldn't sleep. She groaned and then got out of bed. She went into the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge. Then she made her way carefully down the basement steps.

She moved a stool over in front of the boat and sat down. She then started to work on her father's boat. "I could probably spend the entire night working on this boat and finish it." She spoke allowed to herself.

She continued to work on the boat. In just a couple of hours, she'd had the entire boat sanded and it was time to start some more assembly work. A few more hours passed and the front door was opening. "Baby girl?" Gibbs called. "You home?"

"Basement!" She called, not looking up from her work.

Gibbs came down the basement steps and found that Charity had done a lot of work to the boat. "You almost finished it." He said.

"Yup." Charity answered.

"What happened to you going out earlier?" He asked.

"Plans got changed." She answered.

"Everything okay, baby?" Gibbs asked.

"Just frustrated." She answered.

"Why?"

"I really don't want to talk about it." Charity answered.

Gibbs walked over to his daughter and put a hand on her shoulder. "You know you can talk to me about anything."

Charity put the hand tools down. "Daddy, we are very close. Closer than most other fathers and daughters, but even we aren't close enough to talk about this." She told him.

Gibbs looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

Charity began to have an internal argument with herself, then she decided. "Do you really want to know?" She asked. "I mean really really wanna know?"

"Yes." Gibbs answered.

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you." She said. She'd decided to go with the truth or at least part of it. "I'm sexually frustrated." She blurted out.

Gibbs took in a deep breath and then looked at his daughter. "How about I help you work on the boat until I need to go back?"

"Sounds good to me." Charity said, pleased that her confession had its desired effect.

**A/N: Now, I know that this chapter is extremely short, but I couldn't resist. I had to make an awkward moment in here. Hope you guys are enjoying this story.**


	25. Chapter 25

Three days later, the team was still working on the case and Charity had her first physical therapy appointment. Gibbs had tried to take her, but she insisted that the case was more important and she could call a cab.

Charity arrived at the physical therapy center and paid the cab driver. She got out of the car and headed inside. She gave them her name and paperwork that the doctor at the hospital had given her. They sent her to a room and told her her therapaist would be with her shortly.

Charity sat in a chair and waited. She looked around at all of the equipment. Then she heard the familiar voice. "Corporal Gibbs."

Charity looked up into the familiar face. "Serg?"

_NCIS..._

Abby sat in front of her computer processing some evidence, when she heard Charity enter the room. Abby turned around and looked at Charity. Charity looked a little tired. "How did your first physical therapy session go?"

Charity sat down in a chair. "My therapist was my Sergeant in basic." Charity replied.

"The one you played all those pranks on?" Abby asked.

"Yes." Charity answered. "She decided to take revenge and kick my butt."

"Why don't you ask for a different therapist?"

"You're kidding right? I can't do that. That would be saying I can't handle it. I'm a Marine, I can handle it." Charity protested.

"Got it." Abby said.

"So, do you know how the case is going?" Charity asked. "I'm not asking any details, just curious to see if it's any closer to being solved or not."

"Getting closer." Abby answered. "So, how'd things go with your mystery man the other night? Did you get your two years worth?"

Charity let out a groan. "No, we got interrupted."

"That sucks." Abby replied.

"Yeah. Good news is I've taken a lot of cold showers and almost finished the boat."

"Wow." Abby said. "Talk about being frustrated."

Charity nodded. "Well, I'd better be go see Dad. He'll be worried if I don't stop to see him and tell him what's going on."

Abby nodded and then gave Charity a hug. Charity returned the hug and then headed down the hall. She hopped on the elevator and headed up to see her dad. The doors opened and she found Tony, Ziva, and McGee all on the phones and trying to work on leads.

Gibbs came down from MTAC and spotted his daughter. He walked over to her. "How'd it go?" He asked.

Charity then explained to him about the sergeant and Gibbs couldn't help but grin a little. Once she'd finished her story, Gibbs asked her, "You need a ride home?"

"I can call a cab." She said.

Tony then walked over. "I was actually about to go and follow up on a lead. I can drop you off on my way." Tony said.

"That sounds fine." She replied.

"You okay with that boss?" Tony asked.

Gibbs sighed. "Yeah."

Tony and Charity then got on the elevator. The doors closed and they were alone together. Charity turned to him. "How close are you to finishing the case?" She asked.

"Not close enough." Tony answered.

"Looks like I'll be finishing the boat tonight." She said.

Tony gave her a quizzical look. "What?"

"I have to have some outlet for all this frustration." She answered. "Cold showers just won't cut it."

Tony grinned, enjoying the idea that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.


	26. Chapter 26

Three more days went by before the case was finally solved. Tony sent Charity a text.

**Dinner at my place tonight? Seven?**

_Does this mean the case is over?_

**Yes.**

_Okay, but how about we skip dinner and go straight to dessert?_

**You read my mind.**

_Just one of my many talents._

**What are some of the others?**

_You'll just have to wait till tonight._

Tony put his phone down after that last text. There was so much promise and teasing wrapped in just those few words. He couldn't wait. He left work as soon as he could and drove to his apartment. He started setting everything up once again.

Then there was a knock at his door. He looked at the time. "She's fourty-five minutes early." He said to himself, rather excitedly. He opened the door, smiling and that smile disappeared as soon as he saw who stood on the other side of the door.

"Hey Junior."

_Charity..._

Charity was in her room looking through the items she recently bought on her trip to Victoria's Secret the previous day. She picked out the pink lace and laid it on her bed. Then she moved to her closet and pulled out her tightest pair of jeans and a pink tank top. She decided to forego the over shirt.

She was just getting ready to get dressed when her phone buzzed. She picked it up and saw that Tony had sent her a text.

**I really hate to again, but can we take a rain check? My dad just showed up.**

Charity felt disappointment flood her body. She had been looking forward to this for over a week now. She sighed and sent back a text.

_Yeah, I'll just go build a house or something._

**I'm sorry. You know I wanted tonight to happen so bad.**

_I know. How long do you think your dad will be staying with you?_

**I have no idea. He always knows how to show up at the wrong time.**

_Well, I'm gonna go. I need to take a cold shower now._

**Can I see?**

_Sorry, I don't do naked pictures._

**You're such a tease.**

_And you love it._

**Every minute.**

_I'll see you later._

**Later.**

Charity put up her cell phone. She fell back on her bed and let out a groan. _Am I ever going to get this fire put out or am I going to die of it first?_ She thought to herself. She sighed and got up and headed to the bathroom.

She grabbed yet another cold shower and then headed to the basement. She'd finished the boat days ago and had started working on a bed frame. As she worked on putting the bed frame together, Charity began to imagine what the night would have gone like, if the elder DiNozzo hadn't of shown up.

As she imagined what her first night with Tony would have been like, Charity began to sand harder and faster, until she had sanded a hole in the wood and needed to start over. "This is gonna be a long night." She said to herself.


	27. Chapter 27

The next day, Charity had yet another session with her physical therapist. This time, however, she allowed her father to come with her. Of course, she made him stay out in the waiting room.

"How are you feeling, today, Marine?" The Sergeant asked.

"Fine Serg." Charity answered.

"Well, we are gonna push you to the limits. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Charity answered.

The Serg then began to push Charity through her exercieses. At one point, Charity let out a cry of pain. "Are you ready to give up, Corporal?"

"No, Serg!" Charity answered. "More Sergeant!"

The Sergeant smiled. "It's a good thing you remembered your training with me before. Now keep going Marine!"

Charity pushed herself as much as she could. She would get stronger and she would keep going until she was walking again. This place was also a great outlet for her frustrations. She could focus all of her energy and frustration on getting better.

An hour later, Charity's session was over and she was heading out to the waiting room. She found her dad right where she'd left him, sitting in a chair with one of the nurses hitting on him. Of course he was oblivious. He stood up and met his daughter. "You ready to go?" He asked.

"Yup." She answered. "Abby and I have lunch plans."

"Really?"

"Yup, we are going to eat in her lab and talk."

Gibbs nodded and then they were on their way to NCIS. When they arrived, they both headed for Abby's lab. Upon entering the lab, they heard some giggling. They turned and saw Abby and Ziva talking with an older white-haired man. Tony was over in the corner looking rather miserable.

The man looked up. "Well, hello Gibbs." He said making his way over to them. "And who is this lovely creature? I'm Anthony DiNozzo Sr."

"I'm Charity Gibbs."

"Well, I see you got yourself a young one. Good for you Gibbs."

Gibbs looked confused. Tony looked mortified and Abby, Ziva, and Charity were all having to contain their laughter. "Actually, I'm his daughter."

"Oh." Was all Senior could think to say. "So, what happened to your leg?" He asked, quickly changing the subject.

"I took some shrapnal in my knee." She answered.

"She's in the Marines." Abby added.

"Ah, I love a woman in uniform." Senior said.

Charity was trying not to laugh. She was starting to see where Tony got a lot of his personality from. _Your son would love me out of uniform, but no one will leave us alone._ She thought.

"Junior, I think after Ziva, Charity will be your next step mother."

Charity could barely contain her laughter. _This is too funny. If only he knew._ She thought. Then she glanced over at Tony, who looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and die. He looked up at her, hesitantly meeting her gaze. She smiled at him reassuringly. Slowly, he smiled back.

After a few more minutes, they found a way to excuse themselves and Tony and Charity found their way to the elevator. Once again they were alone. Tony oushed the button and stopped the elevator as soon as the doors were closed.

His arms wound around Charity and pulled her to him. His lips found hers and her hands fisted in his hair. After several intense seconds they broke the kiss, but not comepletely apart. "I want you so bad." Charity confessed.

"I want you." Tony breathed.

"Do you think there's a way we can keep your dad busy for a night?"

"Only if we can find him a date." Tony said with a sigh.

Charity thought for a moment. "You know, I have a friend who is on leave. She owes me and she always says she likes older men."

"Call her." Tony said.

Charity grinned. She pulled out her cell phone and called her friend, Claire.

"Hello Charity Bell!" She answered.

"Hey Claire Bear." Charity replied. "You remember that time I went out with your cousin who smells like feet so you could go and get laid?"

"Yes." Claire answered.

"I need you to return the favor." Charity replied.

"Oh, and just who am I going out with?"

"His name is Anthony DiNozzo Senior." Charity began.

"And who is your date?" Claire asked.

"His son." She answered.

"So, you need me to get his dad gone so you can have a roll in the hay with his son?" Claire asked.

"Yes."

"Besides the fact that I owe you, why else should I do this? I mean if it were your dad, I would have no reservations at all, but..."

"Okay, look Claire, it's been two years and if I don't get some relief, I may die of a heat stroke." Charity blurted before she could stop herself. She was still in the elevator with Tony after all.

"That is an emergency." Claire replied. "So, how are we gonna play this?"

"Manuver twenty-five." Charity answered.

"Sounds great." Claire agreed. "Text me the details later."

"Okay." Charity replied. Then she hung up the phone.

"Two years?" Tony asked.

"Shit." Charity said. "You weren't supposed to know that."

Tony grinned. "How?"

"Lots of cold showers and being staioned with a bunch of married and/or gay men." Charity answered.

"Okay, so what's manuver twenty-five?"

"Casual run in that turns into something more." Charity answered.

"I see." Tony replied. "This just might work."

"It will." Charity stated. "It has to."


	28. Chapter 28

Tony and Charity agreed that he would take his dad out to a local club and Charity and Claire, would "run in" to them there. Then once Claire got Senior out of there, Tony and Charity would go back to Tony's place.

Later that night, Charity was in her room figuring out what to wear, when Claire let herself in. Claire had chin-length brown hair and was wearing a pair of jeans and a black top that showed off her flat stomache.

"You look great." Charity said.

"Why thank you. Now what are you going to wear?"

"I have no idea." Charity answered.

"Then it's a good thing I'm here." Claire replied. She went right for Charity's closet and pulled out the black halter top she'd worn before and a black skirt. "You must wear this and a pair of heels."

"I can't wear the heels at the moment." Charity said, gesturing to her injured knee.

"Okay, but you are so showing off those legs, even if one is a little worse for the wear." Claire said, tossing the clothes to Charity. Charity slipped them on over the pink lace she'd been planning to wear the night before.

Claire had then insisted on helping Charity do her hair. She pulled Charity's long red locks from the pony tail and brushed them out. Then she used some hair spray and tousled Charity's hair so that it looked sexy and seductive. "Okay, we are ready to go out now." Claire said.

Charity nodded and then she and Claire made their way down the stairs. Charity grabbed her crutches once she was at the bottom. "You two girls going out?" Gibbs asked walking towards them.

"Yup." They answered.

"So, don't wait up." Charity told her father. "Who knows how long we'll be gone."

"Okay." Gibbs replied. "Have a good time."

Charity and Gibbs hugged and then Charity left with Claire. They soon arrived at the club and walked on in. Charity quickly spotted Tony and Senior at the bar. Senior was hitting on the rather adorable bartender.

"Over there." Charity pointed out.

"I can see why you want this guy so bad." Claire said. "He's definately one fine speciman of the male species."

Charity nodded. "Now just remember he's mine. The older white-haired man is yours."

"I know." Claire replied. "He's actually kinda cute."

"Alright, let's go." Charity said.

The two women casually made their way over to the bar and ordered a couple of drinks. Charity looked over at Tony and his dad. "Hey Tony." She greeted brightly.

He looked up feining surprise. "Hey Charity. I didn't know you came here. Dad you remember Charity from earlier today?"

"Ah, Gibbs's daughter." Senior replied. "You look even more beautiful than before."

Charity let out a giggle.

"Hey, aren't you gonna introduce me?" Claire said, putting on her best pouty face.

"Where are my manners?" Charity said. "This is my friend Claire. She's home on leave."

"I go back in a few days." Claire added. "I met Charity in the Core."

"Well, another woman in uniform." Senior said, intrigued. "I like that."

Claire and Senior then preceded to talk and flirt. Before much longer, Claire had Senior ready to go check out another club with her. "Come on you guys." Claire said, pretending to try to convince Tony and Charity to go with them.

"I really don't want to go to another club." Charity said. "I'd rather go home."

"I'll give you a ride home." Tony suggested. _In the morning._ He added mentally. "I'd rather not go to another club."

"Spoil sports." Claire said playfully. "Oh well. I guess that just leaves us two kids to go and have all the fun." She gestured to herself and Senior.

"Alright, sounds good to me." Senior agreed. "See you later son."

"Later." Tony said.

Senior and Claire then slipped out the door and headed for Claire's car. Tony and Charity waited just a little while longer and then they headed to the parking lot and hopped in Tony's car.

When Tony parked the car outside of his apartment building, he got out and walked around the car to help Charity out. They made their way into the building as quickly as they could and soon they were inside Tony's apartment.

Tony shut the door behind them and locked it. He pulled Charity into his arms and crushed her lips with his. Charity's crutches clattered to the floor as she wrapped her arms around Tony. She then slowly moved her hands down the front of his shirt, unbuttoning it.

Tony slipped his finger tips under her halter top and pulled it off revealing the adorable pink lacey bra underneath. Charity slipped Tony's shirt from his shoulders. She then ran her fingers over his care chest, playing in the light sprinkling of chest hair. Tony scooped Charity into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. As he had done before, he laid her down on the bed and climbed on top of her.

Charity's hands moved and quickly undid his belt and pants. Tony shook free of his pants and then slipped his fingers under the waist band of Charity's skirt. He slid the small piece of clothing away. Now only two pieces of lace stood between her naked body and his eyes.

Tony slowly slid his hands up Charity's sides and unclasped her bra. He removed the infernal piece of clothing. Tony's hands roamed freely over Charity's body, leaving trails of fire across her skin. Charity moved her hands over Tony's body until she found the waist line of his boxers. He helped her remove the boxers.

Tony's hands moved down Charity's body until they found the pink lace. Tony then ripped the delicate lace away, revealing all of Charity to him. Tony leaned back for a moment and let his gaze roam over Charity's body. "You are beautiful." He breathed.

Tony lowered himself once again and captured Charity's lips in his. His hands explored her body and her hands roamed over his body. Then when he sensed she was ready, Tony plunged in and took Charity.

They made love until the sun came up and both fell asleep, completely satisfied and thoroughly exhausted.

**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter :)**


	29. Chapter 29

A few short hours later, Tony woke up. He looked down and found Charity still asleep in his arms. He gently shook her. "Time to wake up, sleeping beauty."

She let out a groan. "Just five more minutes." She told him. "Besides, Prince Charming woke Sleeping Beauty with a kiss."

Tony grinned. "Oh, so that's how we're playing this." He then placed a kiss on Charity's lips.

Charity slowly opened her blue eyes. "That's better." She replied.

Before anything else could be said, someone was knocking on Tony's door. "I'd better go see who that is." Tony said. He got up and headed over to his dresser. He pulled out a pair of sweat pants and pulled them on. Then he headed for the door.

Tony looked through the peep hole and saw his dad standing on the other side. Tony then looked at the floor and found Charity's top and crutches. He grabbed the items up and took them into the bedroom. "It's my dad." Tony said.

Charity took the items from Tony and then started looking for her other clothes. As soon as she found the clothes, Charity began pulling them on.

"I'll go open the door and let him in and distract him while, you sneak out." Tony said.

Charity nodded. "Okay."

Tony walked over and kissed her once more and then headed to let his dad in. Tony opened the door and stepped aside. "Hey Dad."

"Junior, what took you so long to answer the door? My head was already pounding and now it's even worse from knocking so much." Senior complained.

"There's some aspirin in the bathroom." Tony said, ignoring his father's question.

"Okay." Senior said. Then he made his way to the bathroom.

Once he was behind the closed door, Tony ran to the bedroom to let Charity know the coast was clear. She quickly hobbled her way out of the room and to the front door. "See you later." Charity said.

Tony gave her a quick kiss. "We'll have to do this again when we don't have to rush you out."

"Agreed." Then Charity headed out and took a cab.

The cab soon pulled up in front of Charity's house. She paid the cab driver and headed inside the house. As soon as she was in the door, she heard someone moving in the living room. Then she heard, "Somebody's doing the walk of shame."

"In my case, it's the hobble of shame, Abby." Charity corrected with a laugh.

"I guess that's true."

"So, where's Dad?"

"He's at NCIS." Abby answered. "He wanted someone to be here when you got home. So, I volunteered."

"I see."

"So, how was your night? Was it as good as you'd hoped?" Abby asked.

"Even better." Charity answered.

"Oh, that's wonderful." Abby said. "Come give me all the gory details over breakfast. I brought you some pancakes."

"You're awesome Abby." Charity said.

The two women then headed to the living room, where Abby had a white Styrofoam carrier with a stack of pancakes waiting. Charity sat down on the couch and took the pancakes. She began to devour them.

"So, tell me about it? Just how good was it?" Abby asked.

Charity grinned. "Well, I have no panties. He ripped them off."

"Oooh, that is good." Abby said. "So, now for the big question, who is your mystery man?"

"Uhm..." Was all Charity could think to say.

Abby then leaned in closer. She took in a breath. "I know that cologne." She said.

"I'm trying something different." Charity said, coming up with the first excuse that popped in her mind.

"No, that's a man's cologne." Abby said.

"I can't want to try a man's cologne?"

"Charity, you just came in doing the walk of shame. The scent belongs to a man. A man I know...Oh my! You smell like Tony! You spent the night with Tony!"


	30. Chapter 30

"…You smell like Tony! You spent the night with Tony!" Abby accused.

"Tony's not the only man in the world who wears that cologne!" Charity used the first thing that came into her mind.

"Then who is this other guy that buys the same cologne?" Abby asked.

"His name is Tommy." Charity answered, hastily.

"It's still Tony." Abby replied. "Tommy is the character from McGee's book that is based off of Tony."

Charity let out a sigh. "Fine, you caught me."

"Does that mean when you'd spent the night at his apartment that one night that you did sleep with him?" Abby asked.

"Not in the way you're thinking." Charity answered. "That night we only kissed. Last night was the first night we slept together."

"Why did you lie to me?" Abby asked.

"Tony and I agreed not to say anything to anybody until we were ready to tell Dad." Charity answered. "And you seemed really freaked out about the idea of us dating."

Abby sighed. "You're lying to your dad and Tony is too. I mean this could change so much."

"I know that and he knows that, but we are attracted to each other. We have a good time together." Charity replied.

"But what if one of you gets hurt?" Abby asked. "Or both of you? I mean what if it doesn't work out?"

"We are adults, Abby. We can handle this." Charity replied.

"Adults who are sneaking around like teenagers." Abby countered.

"That may be, but it's only because…"

"Because you know when your dad finds out you're both dead?" Abby asked.

"Abby can we please not talk about this right now?"

"I'm just worried about both of you."

"I know, but you have to trust us. Trust me." Charity replied. "And you absolutely can't tell anyone."

Abby sighed. "I won't, but I don't like it. Now I have to lie to Gibbs. I don't like lying to Gibbs."

"Do you think I like lying to my father when I go out? No, I don't, but I have no choice."

"I will keep this secret to myself, but I don't like it."

"I love you, Abby." Charity said, innocently.

"You better." Abby countered.

Later Charity went upstairs to grab a shower and a nap. Abby headed back to NCIS. When she was back in her lab, she called Tony's desk. "Hey, Abs, what's up?" He answered.

"You, my lab, now. We have to talk." Abby replied and then hung up.

A few minutes later, Tony walked in her lab. Abby shut the door and turned her music up so no one could hear their conversation. She then gave him a head slap.

"Ow, what was that for?" Tony asked.

"For lying to me and Gibbs." Abby answered.

"What are you talking about?" Tony inquired.

"I know about you and Charity."

"How do you…"

"I was there when she came home this morning and I smelled your cologne on her." Abby replied.

"Are you going to lecture me?" Tony asked.

"No, I already lectured Charity this morning. I just can't believe you two."

"Abby, don't you think I tried not to get involved with Charity? Don't you think she tried not to get involved with me? We are attracted to each other." Tony replied.

"It's called self control." Abby countered.

"We have been. Why do you think we didn't just sleep together that first night?" Tony asked. "Besides, how can I resist her? She's beautiful, smart, sexy, funny, and she gets my sense of humor."

Abby looked at Tony, scrutinizing his face. "You really do care about her don't you?"

"Yes." Tony replied.

Abby let out a sigh. "And I can tell she really cares about you, too. Plus you do seem to make her laugh a lot."

"So, you're not going to protest this anymore?" Tony asked.

"I'm not going to protest your relationship, but I will protest you guys keeping it a secret from Gibbs." Abby told him.

"We will tell him…eventually." Tony replied. "You aren't going to say anything to him, are you?"

"No, I think you two should be the ones to tell him."

"We will, when the time is right." Tony replied.

Abby nodded. "Okay, but seriously the sooner the better."


	31. Chapter 31

Another two weeks passed. Senior had left and Tony and Charity had gone out several more times. This particular morning, Charity was waking up wrapped in Tony's arms after having spent yet another steamy night together.

"You know I could get used to waking up with you in my arms." Tony told her, kissing her forehead.

Charity grinned. "I think I could get used to that, too."

Tony smiled back at her. "Do you know how beautiful you look when you first wake up?"

"Not very." She answered. "My hair's all a mess."

"Oh, but I like the mess." Tony told her with a grin.

"I think you just like that I'm a mess because of you."

"Well, that could be a part of it." Tony replied. "Now, how about I make an even bigger mess?" His then flipped Charity over on her back, eliciting a giggle from her. His lips were soon trailing a fire over her naked flesh.

Charity giggled and then the alarm on her phone went off.

Tony pulled back. "What's that alarm for?"

"Signaling me to get up and get ready for my physical therapy session." Charity answered.

Tony climbed off of Charity and then helped her get up from bed. She reached into the drawer of the dresser he had given her to keep a few things in and pulled out a pair of underwear and shorts and a t-shirt. She headed into the bathroom and got in the shower.

"Am I allowed to join you?" Tony asked, walking into the bathroom.

"Well, it would be easier if you did help me." Charity answered, slyly.

Tony grinned and got in the shower. They played around a little in the shower and then got out and got dressed. Charity called a cab to take her to her physical therapy session and Tony headed for work.

Tony arrived at NCIS just as Gibbs walked in the room. "Gear up. Dead Petty Officer." Gibbs ordered.

The team headed out to the crime scene. While they were processing the scene, Tony was thinking about the previous night with Charity. She was becoming a major part of his life. She had a drawer of clothes and a toothbrush at his place. He was developing feelings for her.

"DiNozzo." Gibbs barked.

"Yeah, boss." Tony answered, coming out of his thoughts.

"Go and process the back of the house." Gibbs ordered.

"On it, boss." Tony replied and grabbed his stuff. Tony walked around the back of the house the dead Petty Officer was found in. Tony found some cigarette butts and started collecting them. The sound of something moving in the woods just behind the house startled Tony.

Tony reached for his gun and turned around, scanning the lining of the trees. He saw a few leaves shaking and pointed his gun in that direction. A little brown rabbit ran out from the trees. Tony let out a sigh of relief.

He started to put his gun back in the holster when another sound caught his attention. Tony turned just in time to see a man walking out of the woods with a gun in hand.

_Gibbs…_

Gibbs was collecting evidence, Ziva was taking photos of the scene, and McGee was speaking with a witness. That's when they heard it. From the back of the house they heard the sound of gunfire. They all quickly drew their weapons and headed around the back of the house.

When they got around the house, they found a man running into the woods behind the house, holding his arm. They looked around and found Tony laying on the ground, clutching his stomach. Gibbs ran over to Tony and applied pressure to the wound, to stall the bleeding.

Ziva pulled out her phone and called for an ambulance. The EMS unit soon arrived and took Tony to the hospital.


	32. Chapter 32

Gibbs followed the ambulance to the hospital. They arrived and Gibbs told the doctors that they were to keep him updated. He'd sent Ziva and McGee to find the guy that had shot Tony.

Gibbs sat in the waiting room and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed Charity's number. "Hey Daddy." She answered, sounding breathless.

"Hey baby girl. How was physical therapy session?"

"Fine. You sound a little stressed. What's up?" She asked.

Gibbs let out a sigh. "I'm at the hospital."

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay? Is everything alright?" Charity asked, sounding freaked.

"I'm fine." He replied. "So, calm down."

"Okay, but why are you at the hospital?"

"DiNozzo got shot while we were processing the crime scene." Gibbs answered.

There was silence on the other end for quite some time. Then Charity took in a deep breath. "I'll be there in five minutes." She said.

Just as Gibbs was about to protest, Charity hung up. Just as she'd said, Charity arrived five minutes later. She was only using one crutch and appeared to be putting weight on her injured leg. She also looked like she'd been crying.

Gibbs stood up and looked at his daughter. "How is he?" She asked, getting right to the point.

"I don't know. The doctor hasn't been out yet. Are you okay, baby girl?"

"I'm fine. I'm just worried about Tony." Charity answered.

Gibbs looked at his daughter puzzled for a moment. _Well, they have become good friends._ Gibbs thought to himself. _She does have a big heart, too._

Gibbs and Charity sat down and waited in silence. Silent tears were coming down Charity's face as the worst possible thoughts flashed through her mind. _No, I just found him. I'm not going to lose him. I'm not losing anyone._ She thought. _I can't lose anyone else._

After a couple of hours, the doctor came out. "The bullet didn't hit any vital organs and luckily it didn't go anywhere near his spine. Mr. DiNozzo is going to be just fine."

"When can we see him?" Gibbs asked.

"In just a little bit. He just woke up and he's asking for a Charity Gibbs." The doctor answered.

"That's me." Charity said, drying her tears.

"Come this way Miss Gibbs." The doctor said.

Charity got up and grabbed her crutch. She followed the doctor back to Tony's room. When they arrived to his room, the doctor turned to Charity. "I'll give you some privacy." Then left.

Charity headed into the room. She saw Tony lying in the bed and he looked over at her and smiled. "Hey gorgeous." He said.

Charity headed over to him and sat on the edge of the bed. She smiled weakly at him. "How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Better now that you're here." He answered, moving his hand to hers. Then he got a better look at her face. "Have you been crying?"

Charity ducked her head and wiped at the tears. "No." She lied.

"You were worried about me." He said, his tone teasing.

"So?" She asked.

"There's something I want to tell you." Tony said suddenly.

Charity looked up at him. "What's that?"

"I love you Charity Gibbs." Tony answered.

Charity blinked stunned for a moment. Then she smiled, "I love you, too."

_Gibbs…_

Gibbs sat in the waiting room, stunned. _What the hell?_ Gibbs thought. _Why would DiNozzo ask to see my daughter?_ While Gibbs was lost in thought, Ziva and McGee entered the room.

"How is Tony?" Ziva asked, pulling Gibbs from his thoughts.

"The doctor says he'll be fine." Gibbs answered.

"Are we allowed to see him?" She asked.

"Not yet." Gibbs answered. "When he woke up he was asking for Charity. She's back there with him. Been back for a while."

Ziva and McGee both exchanged curious looks. Just then a nurse came out. "Mr. Gibbs?"

"Yes." Gibbs said looking up.

"Mr. DiNozzo is ready for you to come back now." She answered. "Follow me."

Gibbs got up and followed the nurse back to Tony's room. Gibbs looked through the door before going in. He saw Charity setting on the edge of the bed holding Tony's hand. They were looking at each other and smiling. Then he watched as his daughter leaned in and kissed Tony's cheek.

Gibbs took a deep breath and walked in. "What the hell is going on with you, two?" Gibbs demanded.

Tony and Charity both looked up at Gibbs. Charity spoke up first. "We've been dating." She answered.


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: I would like to acknowledge tansysam for the idea of how Gibbs finds out about Tony and Charity. I would like to say thank you to tansysam for the ideas and the reviews. Thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing this story. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions please feel free to send me a private message. I appreciate you guys. You're awesome.**

"What the hell is going on with you two?" Gibbs demanded.

"We've been dating." Charity answered her father.

Gibbs blinked, shocked. "Did I just hear you right? You've been dating?"

"Yeah, boss." Tony answered.

"How long?" Gibbs asked.

"Since a couple days after you left to work on that case in LA." Charity answered.

"Charity Faith, get in the hall now." Gibbs ordered.

_Crap, my middle name._ Charity thought as she stood up and grabbed her crutch. She then followed her dad out into the hall. Gibbs shut the door as they went out. Gibbs pinched the bridge of his nose and inhaled deeply. He moved his hand down and looked at his daughter.

"DiNozzo? Really?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes, Daddy." Charity answered.

"Why?"

Charity sighed. "He makes me laugh, Daddy." Charity answered. "Dad, when I was overseas and that school was bombed, I had a six year-old little girl die in my arms. That really messed with me. That celebration helped, but Tony making me laugh is what I really needed. After all that stuff over there I thought I might not laugh again, but Tony makes me laugh. He makes me happy. I love him, Daddy."

Gibbs sighed. "So when you finished the boat because you were frustrated…it had…"

Charity threw up a hand to stay her father. "Once again Daddy, you and I are not that close."

Gibbs nodded and sighed. "Why did you lie to me?"

"Because we weren't sure where our relationship was headed. We figured it would be better to just wait till we knew where this was headed before we told you anything." Charity answered.

Gibbs then walked over to Charity and pulled her in for a hug. Then he pulled away. "I'm going to talk to DiNozzo now." He then started to enter the room, as he was behind Charity, Gibbs gave her a head slap. "That's for lying to me." Then he entered Tony's room.

"Hey boss." Tony said, suddenly nervous.

"Why DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked. "Why my daughter?"

Tony took in a deep breath. "Charity's beautiful and smart and funny." Tony answered. "She makes me happy."

Gibbs sighed. "Why did you lie to me?"

Tony answered and told him pretty much the same thing Charity had.

Gibbs didn't say a word. He just stared Tony down with his Gibbs stare.

Tony took a deep breath. "I love Charity." Tony confessed to Gibbs.

Gibbs read Tony's face and could tell that he was absolutely serious. He then walked over to Tony and gave him a slap to the back of the head. "That's for lying to me and sleeping with my daughter."

Tony nodded, understanding that Gibbs would be mad. Tony was actually surprised that he was still breathing at that very moment.

Gibbs walked back to the door and opened it and told Charity to come in. She came in the room. Charity and Tony waited for Gibbs to say something.

_Back in the waiting room…_

Ziva and McGee sat in the waiting room. "Why do you think Tony asked to see Charity?" McGee asked.

"I don't know." Ziva replied. "You don't think he and Charity…" Ziva asked, trailing off suggestively.

"No, not even Tony's that stupid." McGee responded.

"Are you sure?" Ziva asked. "I mean they have been getting pretty close lately."

"True, but I mean come on, Charity is Gibbs's daughter. There's no way Tony would do anything with her." McGee replied.

Just then Abby came in the room. "How's Tony?" She asked.

"He's fine." Ziva answered.

"Are we allowed to see him?" Abby inquired.

"He's with Gibbs and Charity." McGee answered.

Abby's eyes widened. "Oh, I hope they are telling him." She muttered.

"Abby?" McGee asked.

"What do you know?" Ziva finished for McGee.

"Nothing." Abby answered.

"You know something." Ziva said. "I can see it in your eyes."

"Abby, what is it you know?" McGee asked.

Abby sighed. "I guess I could tell you, since they are probably telling Gibbs."

"Telling Gibbs what?" Ziva asked.

"Tony and Charity have been dating."

"I guess I was wrong." McGee said. "Tony is that stupid."

"Well, it looks like Tony cheated death once tonight. I wonder if he can do it again." Ziva stated.


	34. Chapter 34

Ziva, McGee, and Abby sat in the waiting room, Ziva and McGee still digesting the news of Tony's relationship with Charity. Just then Gibbs came out and looked at them. "You guys find the guy who shot DiNozzo?" He asked.

"Yes, he's actually in this hospital for his gun shot wound." Ziva answered. "We've already arrested him and he is cuffed to his hospital bed."

"Good." Gibbs replied. "He connected to our case?"

"Yes, he confessed to that murder as soon as we put the cuffs on him." McGee answered.

"So, how's Tony?" Ziva asked.

"Alive." Gibbs answered and then walked away.

"Why do I feel like the words _for now_ should have been at the end of that sentence." McGee stated.

The group exchanged looks and then headed to dind Tony's room. When they arrived outside of his room, they looked through the window before going in. Charity was setting on the edge of the bed beside Tony. He said something and she laughed. Then Tony lifted his hand and intimately traced her lips with his index finger.

"Wow." Ziva whispered. Even though Abby had told them about Tony and Charity, Ziva still wasn't quite prepared for actually seeing it.

They continued to watch as Charity grabbed Tony's finger and then she leaned in and gave him a sweet kiss. "Okay, we either need to go in there or leave and quit watching." Abby said. "This just feels wrong."

"Abby is right. This feels like something Tony would do." Ziva replied.

McGee nodded. "So, whose going first?" He asked.

The three exchanged glances and none of them moved forward. Ziva then sighed. "I'll go." She then walked into the room. "Well, we came to see how you are doing, but it appears that you must be doing fine." She spoke.

Tony and Charity both jumped. They were surprised as they saw Ziva walk into the room follwed by Abby and McGee. "You don't seem too surprised though." Tony observed.

"I told them." Abby said, sheepishly.

"Really, we should have known though." Ziva interrupted. "With the way you two have been lawing around lately."

"Paling." Tony corrected.

A small grin lit Charity's face. She was having to bite her toung to keep the smart remark from flying past her lips.

Tony saw the look on her face and grinned. "Say it. You know you want to."

Charity pressed her lips together and shook her head.

"What is she not saying?" Ziva asked.

"Nothing." Charity replied before anyone else could.

Tony just looked at her with a smile.

Ziva shook her head and then turned to Charity. "So, when you were talking to Abby and me about those fireman dreams..."

Charity put up her hand. "Don't say one more word about the very symblic dream and yes." Charity replied.

Tony looked at Charity. "What fireman dream?"

"Nothing." Charity answered turning to him her face red.

"Here's a better question." Ziva interrupted. "I can see why Tony would be attracted to you, but why you to him?"

"Hey." Tony said. "Wait, I want to hear this, too."

Charity giggled. "He makes me laugh." she said, turning to Ziva.

"That's it?" Tony asked.

Charity turned to Tony and grinned. "Well, you are very sexy, too." she replied.

"That's better." Tony replied.

Ziva just shook her head and rolled her eyes. "It looks like we aren't needed here." She said. "See you later Tony."

Abby walked over to the bed and hugged Tony. "I'm glad you're okay." She said. Then she hugged Charity. "You take care of him."

Charity gave Abby a salute. "Got it."

"Later Tony." McGee said.

The team then left and Tony and Charity were alone once again. Tony turned to Charity, a devilish grin on his face. "So, since you promised Abby that you're going to take care of me, does that mean you're my nurse?"

"I guess, why?" Charity responded, a playfully suspicious look on her face.

"Because, I think I could use a spnge bath." Tony answered.

Charity laughed. "Welp, you're libido is fine so I guess you don't really need a nurse to take care of you."

"Of course I need a nurse, but not just any nurse. You have to be my nurse." Tony told her. "I even know a place where you can get the outfit." He then gave her a wink.

Charity giggled and shook her head. "Yup, you're gonna be just fine."

Tony reached a hand out and cupped Charity's cheek. "I love you." He told her.

Charity smiled at Tony. "I love you, too." she replied and then leaned in close for yet another kiss.


	35. Chapter 35

After spending a few hours at the hospital, Charity left and headed home. When she arrived home, Charity heard her father moving around in the basement. She decided to go down and visit him.

"Hey Daddy." She said as she made her way carefully down the steps.

"Hey Baby girl." Gibbs replied, not looking up from the project he was currently working on.

Silence filled the basement. Unable to take the silence, Charity came closer to her father. "Are you mad at me, Daddy?" She asked.

Gibbs heard the hesitance in hus daughter's voice. He put down his tools and looked at Charity. His heart melted as he saw the fear in her eyes. He could tell she was afraid she'd made him angry or disappointed him. He let out a sigh and walked over to her and pulled her into his arms. "I'm not mad at you, baby girl." Gibbs answered. He then kissed the top of her head.

Charity wrapped her arms around her father and burried her face into his chest. She didn't say anything nor did she cry. She just found comfort in her father's embrace.

Gibbs pulled back and held Charity at arms length. "Truth is that I'm not mad at you. I wasn't happy that you two lied to me, but I understand why you did."

"Really?" Charity asked, raising a red brow.

Gibbs nodded. "Besides, there are a lot worse guys out there than DiNozzo." Gibbs added.

"So, you're okay with everything?" She asked.

"Yes, but don't you dare tell DiNozzo." Gibbs replied.

Charity grinned. "You act tough, but deep down, you're just a big ole softie." She teased.

Gibbs chuckled. "Don't tell anyone."

Charity hugged her father again. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too, baby girl." Gibbs replied wrapping his arms around his daughter once more.

After hugging for a few more minutes, Charity then volunteered to help her dad work on his latest project. Gibbs nodded and the pair started to work on yet another boat. Charity sat on a stool on one side of the boat while Gibbs stood on the other.

Gibbs looked up as he smiled at his daughter as he watched her work. A memory was brought back to him as he watched her sand the boat.

_Flashback..._

_ It had been a year since the murder of Shannon and Kelly. Gibbs stood in his basement working on his boat. His youngest daughter, who had miraculously survived, was there standing on a stool on the other side of the boat. _

_ Gibbs watched as Charity concentrated on the wood in front of her. Her little face was focused and determined. He blue eyes were trained on the boat. Her red hair fell into her face and she brushed it back. She let out a little yawn._

_ "I think it's somebody's bed time." Gibbs said._

_ "Okay, night Daddy. Sweet dreams." She replied, still sanding the wood on her face._

_ Gibbs grinned. "I meant your bed time."_

_ "Oh, I'm not tiii-rrred." Charity said through a yawn._

_ "Then why are you yawning?"_

_ "I don't know." She replied._

_ Gibbs walked around and took the tool from his daughter's hands. Then he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. She giggled. "You're going to bed little missy." Gibbs said._

_ "Okay, but you have to read me a story." She told him._

_ "Don't worry baby girl. I will." Gibbs replied. Then he carried her up the stairs and took her to her bedroom. He laid her down in bed and pulled the covers over her. "What story do you want to hear tonight?"_

_ "Green Eggs and Ham." Charity answered._

_ Gibbs grinned and pulled the book off the shelf. He opened it up and began reading. Once he'd finished the book, Gibbs looked at his daughter. "Okay, now go to sleep."_

_ "Okay, night Daddy." Charity said._

_ "Night baby girl." Gibbs said bending down and kissing her forehead._

_ As Gibbs reached the door and turned the light out, he heard Charity say sleepily, "I love you Daddy."_

_ "I love you, too, baby girl." He replied and shut the door._

_Present..._

Charity yawned and looked up her father. "I think I'm gonna hit the hay."

"Okay." Gibbs replied.

Charity got up off the stool and hobbled over to her father. She hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Gibbs hugged her back and kissed her forehead. "Night Daddy."

"Night baby girl."

Charity then headed up the steps and out of the basement. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too, Baby girl."


	36. Chapter 36

Three weeks later, everything was back to normal, or at least the new normal. Tony was released from the hospital and waking up to the sound of Charity's alarm. Charity rolled out of Tony's arms and turned her alarm off.

"Why is your alarm going off so early?" Tony asked, sounding groggy.

"I have an early therapy session." Charity answered.

"Reschedule it and stay in bed with me." Tony said, pulling Charity back into his arms.

Charity giggled. "I would love nothing more, but I would like to be done with my crutch. My underarm is starting to get a bruise." She replied. "So, I have to go to therapy."

Tony chuckled."Okay, when you put it that way."

Charity kissed Tony and rolled out of bed. She got in the shower and got dressed and ready for the day. As she was pulling on her t-shirt, Charity thought about her and Tony's relationship. Ever since he had been released from the hospital, Charity had soent just about every night with him.

Her drawer of things was becoming fuller. Of course, for the most part, she preferred to wear Tony's shirts and he preferred she wear nothing at all. Charity grinned as she thought about how nice it was waking up with him these past mornings.

Charity looked at the time and realized that if she didn't get going, she was going to be late. She headed back into the bedroom and gave Tony a kiss. "See you later." She said.

"Later, have fun." He replied. Then he gave her one more kiss. "I love you."

Charity grinned. She could never get tired if hearing that. "I love you, too." She then hobbled out the door and took a cab to the physical therapy center.

When Charity arrived, she was greeted by Serg. "Are you ready to ramp things up today, Corporal?"

"Yes, Sergeant." Charity answered.

Serg grinned. "Alright, then lets go Marine!"

Serg lead Charity through some more intense exercises. She pushed Charity to go further and work through the pain. After Charity was breathing heavy and sweating from the pain, Serg looked at her. "Do you think you can stand, Marine?"

"Yes." Charity answered determined.

Serg surprised Charity by reaching her hand out to help Charity stand. Once Charity was steady Serg released her hand and Charity slowly put weight on her injured leg. Pain instantly hit her and filled her knee, but Charity breathed through the pain and focused on the wall in front of her. Then three seconds later, her knee gave out and Charity was falling.

Serg quickly grabbed Charity by the waist and supported her. She then helped Charity to the chair. "Good work Marine." Serg said, handing Charity her crutch. "Just try not to fall next time."

"Yes Serg." Charity replied breathless.

"When you head home, work on standing more. Keep putting weight on that knee." Serg ordered.

"Yes Serg." Charity answered like a good soldier.

"Now, get out of here and I'll see you in three days."

Charity rose and leaned on her crutch. She saluted Serg and then left. Charity arrived home and got in the shower. She then changed into a pair of jeans, a blue tank top, and a white shirt over it. Charity sat down on her bed and then decided to start trying to stand up for longer than three seconds.

"I will stand and walk. I will also be able to drive myself around again and I will get rid of this stupid crutch." She spoke aloud to herself. She slowly rise from her bed, supporting herself using the bed frame. She slowly released the frame and put weight on her leg.

She felt the pain once again. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out. Within three seconds, she was falling back down on her bed. She tried several more times, but with the same results.

"I won't give up." She breathed.

"There's nothing wrong with just taking a break." Came a familiar voice.

Charity turned to see Ziva standing in her doorway. She suddenly felt very embarrassed that Ziva was standing there and seeing her room. _I really need to redecorate._ She thought. "Ziva, what are you doing here?"

"I just stopped by to see how you were doing." Ziva replied. "Interesting room."

Charity's face turned a little pink. "I haven't had the time to redecorate." Charity explained.

Ziva nodded. "You want to go out for a drink?"

"Sure." Charity answered, surprised. She then rise from her bed and made her way over to the door, using the wall for support. She and Ziva then made their way down the stairs where Charity grabbed her crutch and then the two women headed out the door. Charity was once more surprised when she found Abby waiting in the car.

"What's going on?" Charity asked.

"We thought you could use a girls' night." Abby answered. "So the three of us are going to have some fun, tonight. That sound alright?"

Charity grinned. "Sounds great." She answered. It had been a while since she'd had a girls' night and she agreed that she could use one.

The trio arrived at a local bar and sat down at a small round table in the corner. They ordered drinks and talked. "So, how is your therapy going?" Ziva asked.

"Great." Charity answered. "As you saw I can stand for short, very short, periods of time."

"You can?" Abby asked, sounding excited. "That's great! How long?"

"Three seconds at a time." Charity answered.

"You seem determined to get walking very soon." Ziva observed.

"Yeah, I'm starting to get friction burns from this crutch." Charity answered.

"I bet that's not all you're getting friction burns from." Abby teased.

Charity gave Abby a look.

"I used to think only Gibbs could get that look on his face." Ziva said.

Charity laughed. "You're forgetting that my last name is Gibbs."

"True." Ziva replied. "Speaking of names, I've been meaning to ask how did your parents come up with Charity?"

Charity took a sip of her drink and then put it down. "Well, they had this deal that Dad would name the first born and Mom would name the second child. So Mom picked out Charity because it is another word for love. My middle name is Faith. She picked those because she always wanted me to have love and faith."

"That's pretty...oh what's that word..." Ziva said struggling. "Cold?"

"You mean cool." Abby supplied.

"Yes that's it." Ziva said. "I like it."

Charity grinned. "Yeah, thank goodness that it was Mom that picked it out, though. Going by the same logic if Dad had named me, my first name would have been Chastity."

Abby and Ziva both started laughing. When the laughing died down, Ziva looked at Charity. "I have another question for you."

"Okay, shoot." Charity replied.

"What was it like growing up with Gibbs as your father?" Ziva asked.

A fond smile appeared across Charity's lips. "Pretty awesome." She answered. "He's the best. Even when he was busy with some major cases, he always made time for me. Still does. The only time things got awkward was when I was a teenager."

"Really? How is that?" Ziva asked.

"Well, other than the obvious of him being the single father of a teenaged daughter going through puberty," Charity began, "it got to where I didn't want my friends to come over."

"Why is that?" Ziva asked.

Abby grinned in anticipation. She already knew the story and always found it amusing.

"All my friends told me they wanted to be my new step mother." Charity answered.

"You mean your friends..." Ziva began.

"My friends thought my dad was hot." Charity answered. "I mean of course I want to believe he's good looking because he did give some of his looks to me, but I really didn't like hearing about it from my friends."

Ziva let out a small laugh. "That must have been interesting."

Charity laughed, "What's bad is a few of my friends still tell me they will be my next step mother."

"Wow." Ziva replied with a laugh.

The three women continued to talk and laugh. They ended up staying at the bar until midnight. Ziva dropped Charity off at home and then took Abby home as well, before heading to her own apartment.

Charity climbed in bed and thought about her life. She had a great father, a pretty awesome boyfriend, and some pretty great friends, too. She fell asleep happy and content that night. She did miss Tony, but they had a date the next night and she would probably be spending the night with him again.


	37. Chapter 37

Two more weeks passed and Charity was in yet another physical therapy session. Serg was pushing her even harder and there was a deep throbbing ache in her knee. "Okay, Marine, stand!" Serg commanded.

"Yes, Sergeant!" Charity said. She rose from her seat. She slowly applied weight to her leg. Pain shot through her leg, but it had lessened than it had been previously. She was able to stand without her knee giving out.

"Do you think you can walk Corporal?" Serg asked.

Charity nodded.

"What was that? I can't hear the rocks rattling around in your head Marine!" Serg barked.

"Yes, Sergeant!" Charity yelled back. Then she slowly put one foot in front of the other. She was able to take two slow steps before her knee gave out.

Serg once again caught Charity. She helped Charity get back on her crutch. "Good work Marine. We can end your session a little early today."

"No Serg. I want to continue." Charity replied.

Serg smiled. "That's what I like to hear. Let's try again Corporal."

_Tony..._

Tony sat at his desk, he was supposed to be filling out a case report, but instead he was lost in thought. He was thinking about Charity.

"Tony, if you're filling out case reports, you might actually want to use that pen." Ziva said, pulling Tony from his thoughts.

Tony looked up, a puzzled look on his face. "You say something Ziva?"

"What are you thinking so soft about over there?" She asked him.

"Hard." Tony replied. "It's what are you thinking so hard about."

"Fine, what are you thinking so _hard_ about over there?" Ziva inquired.

"Charity." Tony answered simply.

Ziva rolled her eyes. "What about Charity?"

"Just about something I want to talk to her about." Tony answered.

Ziva gave him a questioning look. "Why won't you tell me what it is exactly?" She asked.

"Because, I want it to be a total surprise." Tony answered. "And you two are friends now and women always talk to each other."

"Yes I have become friends with Charity, but I would still keep your secret." She replied.

"Nope, sorry. I can't." Tony replied. "I can't risk it."

Ziva just rolled her eyes. "Men." Was all she said. Then she returned to her case work.

Just then the elevator doors opened and Abby stepped off looking very excited. "Hey guys!" She greeted.

"Hello Abby." Ziva said. "You seem very excited."

"Yeah, who out the Caf in your Caf-Pow?" Tony asked.

"Charity just sent me a text. She's on her way here. She said she has a surprise for everyone." Abby answered.

"I wonder why she wouldn't text me." Tony said. Just then his phone rang in his pocket. He looked at it and it was a text from Charity. He read the text and no longer felt slightly insulted. "Okay, my phone is just slow."

Abby and Ziva laughed. Before either of them could say anything the elevator doors opened again and Charity came out. she was moving rather slow, but then they noticed that she wasn't using a crutch and she was actually walking...well limping was more like it, but still she no longer had a crutch.

"You've lost your extra apendage!" Abby said excotedly, running over to pull Charity into a hug,

Charity laughed and hugged Abby back. "Hey, don't jump on me. I'm still kinda unsteady."

Abby pulled back. "Okay, sorry." Abby replied.

"It's okay." Charity replied.

Tony got up from his desk and headed over to Charity. "This is wonderful." He said, pulling her into his arms and giving her a kiss.

Charity grinned up at him. "Just don't let go now. You always make me weak in my knees." She teased.

"You just had to go and ruin this by saying that." Ziva said, getting up and walking over to join the group.

"I couldn't help it." Charity replied. She then felt her knee start to wobble. "Okay, I need to set down or my knee might give out."

Tony walked Charity over to the nearest chair, which happened to be her father's. As Charity was setting down, her knee finally gave out and she fell hard on the chair. "You okay?" Tony asked her.

"I'm fine. I just need to rest for a few minutes and I'll be good." she answered.

Before anyone else could say anything, Gibbs walked in. Tony's back was to him and as Gibbs approached, he gave Tony a slap to the back of the head. Tony put his hand to where Gibbs had slapped him. "Thanks boss." Tony said.

Gibbs smirked slightly. Since finding out about Tony and Charity, he had been giving Tony a few extra head slaps and giving him the "probie" jobs. "So, how are you doing, baby girl?" He asked Charity.

"Fine." She answered.

"Where's your crutch?" He asked.

"Don't need it anymore." Charity answered. Then slowly, she rose to her feet.

Gibbs just smiled and pulled his daughter into a hug. "You better not be overdoing it." he told her as he pulled away.

Charity grinned. "I promise, I'm fine. I still have to take it easy, but I can walk...limp now."

Abby suddenly jumped up and grabbed Charity's hand. "Okay, now we have to go see Duckie! He'll be excited." She then dragged Charity to the elevator and soon they disappeared to down to the morgue.

Once Tony was sure the elevator was well on it's way down, Tony looked at Gibbs. "Can I talk to you for a minute, boss?" He asked.

Gibbs didn't say a word. He headed for the elevator. Tony followed him and they stepped in. The doors shut and Gibbs pushed the button and the elevator stopped.

"What is it DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked bluntly.


	38. Chapter 38

"What is it, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, getting right to the point.

"There's a couple of things." Tony said.

"Then you better start talking." Gibbs said.

"I know you aren't happy that I lied to you and kept my relationship with Charity a secret." Tony began.

"You could say that." Gibbs said.

"But I think you should get over being mad at me about it." Tony spit out really fast.

Gibbs raised his eyebrow at Tony. "Really?"

"Yes, I mean you keep giving me extra head slaps and giving me all of the crappy jobs and I have taken it, but I'm not going to take it anymore." Tony replied, sounding more confident than what he felt.

Gibbs assessed Tony for a moment. "Took you long enough." Gibbs said.

"Huh?" Tony asked, feeling confused.

"I've been waiting for you to stand up to me. About Time." Gibbs answered.

"So, you wanted me to say something?"

Gibbs nodded. "So, what else did you want to talk to me about?"

"I'm going to ask Charity to move in with me." Tony answered. "I feel that since you are her father, I should give you a heads up."

"Are you asking my permission, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"No boss, Rule eighteen." Tony replied.

"Good." Gibbs said. "Is that all?"

"Yeah, boss." Tony answered.

Gibbs then pushed the button and the elevator doors opened. Gibbs stepped off and back out to the squadroom. Tony pushed a button and then headed down to autopsy. _I'm going to ask her to move in tonight._ Tony thought as the elevator descended.

_Charity..._

Charity stood with Abby outside of autopsy. They had been going to see Duckie, but instead had stood outside of the room for what felt like an eternity. "Come on Charity, I got over my fear of autopsy." Abby encouraged.

Charity shook her head. "I thought could do it, but I can't. I can't go in there."

"He won't be in the middle of an autopsy." Abby said. "No body should be out of the drawers."

Charity still shook her head. "I still know that there are bodies in there and that there have been bodies on the slab." Charity replied.

"Come on. I promise, it will be fine. Besides, you know Duckie will be excited to see you." Abby told her.

Charity sighed. "Okay, fine." she finally agreed.

Abby walked through the doors first, "Hey Duckie, someone is here to see you." Abby greeted cheerfully.

Duckie stood up from his stool and watched as Charity limped into the room. "Charity, my dear, it's so good to see you." Duckie greeted her, walking over to give her a hug. "And I see you no longer need a crutch."

Charity gave Duckie a weak smile. "Good to see you, too."

Duckie gave her a look. "Are you alright my dear?" Duckie asked. "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine." Charity answered, her breathing becoming heavy. "It's getting hot in here." Then her breathing became shorter and more labored.

"She's going to hyperventalate." Duckie said.

"I... have... to get... out... now." Charity managed between ragged breaths. She then turned and limped her way out of the room as fast as she could.

Charity leaned heavily against the wall and worked on slowing her breathing. The elevator doors came open and Tony stepped out. He looked over at her and became worried. He walked over and put a hand under her chin and coaxed her face upwards. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Fine." She answered, still breathing heavy.

"What happened?" He asked.

Just then Abby and Duckie stepped out into the hall. "Charity, I'm so sorry I made you go in there." Abby said.

"It's okay, Abby." Charity answered, turning her head and giving Abby a weak smile. "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Abby inquired.

"Yup." Charity answered.

"Well, I think you have had enough excitement for one day." Tony said. "You need some food and rest."

"Pizza and watching a movie?" Charity asked.

"Yup." Tony answered.

"Okay, let's go." Charity said, eager to get as far away from autopsy as possible and to be alone with her man. She said her good-byes to Abby and Duckie and then she and Tony headed out.

Tony and Charity soon arrived at Tony's apartment. "You go get comfortable and I'll order the pizza." Tony told her.

Charity nodded and headed into the bedroom. She reached into her drawer and pulled out one of Tony's t-shirts that she'd stolen and made hers. She slipped off her top and jeans and slipped the shirt on. When she walked back out, Tony was hanging up the phone.

"Pizza will be here in twenty minutes." He told her. "What movie are you in the mood for?" He asked her.

Charity walked over to the movie collection and pulled one out. "I think I'm in the mood for a little Bond tonight." She answered.

"Shaken, not stirred." He replied, doing his best Sean Connery impression.

Charity giggled. "You're pretty good at that, If you're not careful I may end up saying _Oh James! _in bed tonight."

Tony chuckled. "That could be interesting." He then walked over to her and pulled her into his arms.

Charity laid her head on Tony's chest and let out a sigh of contentment. She felt Tony's lips on top of her head. "I love you." She told him.

"I love you, too." He replied. "Alright, you ready to watch that movie?"

"Yup." Charity answered. She pulled away and sat down on the couch.

Tony popped the movie in the dvd player and then went to get changed into some more comfortable clothes. When he came back he pushed play and sat down next to Charity. She snuggled up to him and he wrapped his arms around her.

Soon the pizza arrived and the pair were digging in. After they finished the movie and the pizza, Tony scooped Charity into his arms and carried her into the bedroom, where he proceded to make love to her.

Afterwards they laid in bed, Charity wrapped in Tony's arms. "So, Ive been thinking." Tony began.

"Uh-oh, I'm in troible now." Charity said with a giggle.

Tony gave Charity a playful glare. "I was thinking, since you've been spending pretty much every night here and I love you and..."

"Tony, what are you getting at?" Charity asked.

"How about you move in here, with me?" Tony asked.

Charity smiled up at him. "You mean it? You want me to live with you?"

"Yes." Tony answered. "So, what do you say?"

"I say, yes." Charity answered and then kissed Tony.


	39. Chapter 39

A few days later and Charity was unpacking the few things she'd brought and offically moving in with Tony. He was helping her unpack. "You didn't bring very much." He commented.

Charity shrugged. "I'm a minimulist." She replied.

"I would have to say so." Tony commented as he pulled out a very tiny pair of lacey thong underwear. "When were you planning on wearing these for me?" He asked.

Charity snatched the panties from him and put them in a drawer. "I can't tell you that. That would take the surprise away." She answered.

Tony grinned at her. Then he reached into the box and pulled out a large book. "What is this?" He asked.

Charity turned to face Tony and looked at the item in his hand. "A photo album." She answered.

"Does it contain embarrassing naked baby pictures?" He asked.

Charity grinned. "Nope, I have those hidden where no one will ever find them." She repled. "And if anyone does find them, it will be their end."

Tony chuckled and opened the album. The first page was a family picture of a young Gibbs, a beautiful red head, and two little girls. "You look a lot like your mom." Tony said.

Charity smiled fondly. "That's what a lot of people tell me...until I get certain looks on my face, then they tell me I look like Dad."

"What kind of looks on your face?" Tony asked playfully.

"I'm sure you'll see them sometime." Charity replied, smiling sweetly.

Tony chuckled and then flipped to the next page. The next picture was of a little redhead snuggled up with a young Gibbs, both passed out on the couch. "You and your dad?" Tony asked.

Charity looked at the picture and nodded. "Flip to the next page. There's a picture I'm sure you'll love." Charity told him.

Tony turned the page and saw a picture that made him want to laugh. It was of Gibbs sitting at a tiny table with a play tea set in front of him and two little girls on either side. Gibbs was wearing a big floppy hat, a pink feather boa, and plastic clip on earrings.

"Kelly and I could talk him into anything." Charity commented. "If he resisted, we would pout and blink like we were about to cry."

"You had him wrapped around your little fingers huh?" Tony asked.

"Yup and I still do." Charity replied.

Tony grinned and flipped through the album. He saw pictures of Charity at every different age. He found a picture of a teen-aged Charity standing in front of a rusty beat up car with Jackson Gibbs. "Why are you standing in front of a rusty car?" Tony asked.

"That's my car." Charity answered. "I was thirteen in that picture. Pappy Jack..."

"Pappy Jack?" Tony asked.

"I started calling him that when I was like three and it stuck." Charity replied. "Now, do you want me to finish my story or not?"

Tony made a motion like he was zipping his lips.

"Okay, Pappy Jack picked that out of the scrap yard for a hundred bucks. He brought it home and I spent the next three summers with him and we rebuilt it from the engine up." Charity told Tony. Then she turned the page. "This is the end result."

Tony looked at the picture to see a candy-apple red Mustang convertible and a sixteen year-old Charity standing in front of it with her grandfather. "Wow." Tony said. "I just have one question."

"Yes?"

"Do you still have this car?"

"Oh yeah." Charity answered. "And her name is Lola."

Tony grinned. "Do you have any idea how sexy it is that you know cars and you named your car?"

Charity grinned back. "How sexy?" She asked.

"Very." Tony answered.

Charity giggled. Then she leaned in and she and Tony shared a kiss.

_Gibbs..._

Gibbs stood in the doorway of Charity's room. She had just taken her clothes and a few little things with her. Other than that, everything was just the same as it had always been.

Gibbs looked around the room, the pink, the stuffed animals, all of it the same since she was a tiny thing. She had never changed it and neither had he. He walked over to the bed and sat down on it. He closed his eyes and sat there for a while.

_ "Jethro." said a familiar voice._

_ Gibbs opened his eyes and saw the love of his life standing in front og him. "Shannon." He breathed._

_ She smiled at him and sat down beside him. "I know it's hard." She said._

_ Gibbs sighed. "Our little girl..." He began._

_ "Isn't a little girl anymore." Shannon finished. "She's a grown woman now."_

_ "I know...and I don't like it." Gibbs replied._

_ Shannon laughed. "You have to get used to it though." She told him._

_ "I know." Gibbs replied. "It's just hard."_

_ "I know." Shannon said._

_ Gibbs reached a hand out and cupped her cheek. "It would be easier if you were here." He told her. "When the last one left the nest, it was supposed to be our time."_

_ "I know." Shannon responded. "But you have to make the best of it. Everything works out the way it's supposed to." She placed her hand over his and then kissed his palm. "I love you."_

_ "I love you, too." He told her._

Gibbs opened his eyes and looked around the room. _It had only been a dream._ He thought. His eyes watered with unshed tears and he blinked them away. He got up off the bed and walked to the door. He turned the light out all the while imagining a tiny redhead laying in the bed, sleeping peacefully.

Gibbs smiled and closed the door behind him. One chapter in his life was over and the next was beginning.


	40. Chapter 40

Two months passed and Charity was done with her physical therapy. She all healed up. She was starting to work out again, including getting up early and running with Ziva. On this particular day, she was going to the doctor to find out if she was cleared to go back to active duty and finish out her last six months in the Core.

Charity sat on the exam table at the hospital, after having undergone several physical and mental tests, waiting for the doctor to return and share the results. She honestly wasn't sure of how she hoped this would go.

_I love being a Marine._ She thought. _But I've grown to love being at home and I don't know how I'm going to handle being away from Tony, if I'm cleared._ An internal struggle began to war inside of Charity as her conflicting emtions fought for dominance.

There was a knock on the door and the doctor entered the room. "Hello Corporal." He greeted.

"Hello Doctor." She replied. "So, how are my tests?"

"Well, everything appears to be fine with your knee." He replied. "They have done a wonderful job fixing your knee."

"Why do I feel like there's a but coming?" Charity asked.

"Well, we don't believe that you could mentally handle another six months over there." He replied.

"What do you mean?" Charity asked, even though she was pretty sure she knew what he would say.

"I know that having that little girl die in your arms affected you, in a big way." He began. "The other doctors and I feel that if you were to go over and see more tramatic events, that it would send you to a phyciatric facility for the rest of your life."

Charity nodded. She couldn't deny the fact that the doctors were probably right. She wouldn't be able to handle it. She had barely been able to handle it already. If it hadn't been for her father, Abby, and Tony she would have gone completely crazy. "Thank you doctor." Charity said, getting up and starting to head for the door.

"There's one more thing." He told her.

Charity turned to face the doctor. "What is it?" She asked.

"Even if you could handle it mentally, you would have to go on maternity leave."

**A/N: To answer Natalie's question, I don't know if I will continue this in another story when I am finished or not. It all depends on the where I leave this one off at and the way my train of thought is traveling. I also have yet to decide where I will leave this story off, so we shall just wait and see. Thanks everyone for all of the reviews. You guys are awesome :)**


	41. Chapter 41

"Even if you could handle it mentally, you would have to go on maternity leave." The doctor told Charity.

Charity shut the door and looked at the doctor. "You mean, I'm...I'm..." She began but couldn't get the words out.

"You're pregnant, Corporal." The doctor answered.

"Okay, how far along?" She asked.

"About four weeks." He answered.

Charity nodded slowly. "Thank you doctor." She then opened the door and headed for her car. She got in her car and sat in the driver's seat. She put the key in the ignition and just sat there with the car running for a little while.

_I'm pregnant._ She thought. _What's Tony going to think? Is he gonna be happyor what? Hell, how do I feel about this?_ She then gently pressed her hand to her stomache. _I'm going to be a mom. I have another person growing inside of me._

Charity put her car into gear and drove away, knowhing where she needed to go.

_Tony..._

Tony walked down the hall and entered Abby's lab. She turned and looked up from her work. "Hey, Tony. What's up?" She asked.

"Nothing, I just needed your opinion on smething." He answered.

"Okay, what is it?" She asked.

Tony reached into his oants pocket and pulled out a small box. He opened it to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. "You think Charity will like it?" He asked.

Abby's eyes got wide. "Oh my... she'll love it!" Abby answered excitedly. "So...you're going to..."

"Yes." Tony answered before Abby could finish. "First, I need to talk to Gibbs, but yes, I'm going to ask Charity to marry me."

Abby jumped up and hugged Tony. "I am like so excited for you guys!" She said.

Tony laughed. "Abby calm down, I haven't even asked her yet. She could say no."

"Yeah right." Abby replied. "Like she's say no."

Tony laughed again. "You can't tell anybody about this." Tony told her.

Abby made a motion of zipping her lips. "I promise mum's the word."

Tony closed the box and slipped it back in his pocket. "I'm gonna talk to Gibbs tonight."

"This is super exciting!" Abby said, practically jumping up and down. "Good luck with Gibbs."

"Thanks." Tony said. Then he gave Abby a quick hug and headed back to the squadroom.

About twenty minutes later, Abby heard Charity walking into her lab. Abby turned to face Charity and smiled. "Hey!" Abby greeted a little too brightly.

Charity wasn't sure why Abby was so excited, but her enthusiasm was catching. "Hey!"

"So, what's up? How'd your doctor's appointment go?" Abby asked.

Charity's face fell slightly. "Well, it all depends on how you look at it."

"Well?" Abby asked.

"I'm not going back." Charity answered. "They don't believe I could mentally handle another trip over."

Abby nodded. "Well, at least you're going to be home and safe." Abby said. "Why do I feel like there's something else you're not saying?"

"Because there is." Charity answered. "Turn the music up and I'll lock the door."

Abby nodded and did as Charity asked. Once the door was locked and the music was at a level that served their purpose, Abby turned to Charity expectantly. "So?"

"I'm...I'm...pregnant." Charity got out.

Abby's eyes widened and then she started jumping up and down. "Oh my gosh! This is the most exciting day ever!" Abby gushed.

Charity looked slightly confused. "Do you think Tony will be happy?"

"I honestly can't tell you for sure." Abby replied. "But I think he will be, after the shock wears off. So, when are you going to tell him?"

"I'm thinking tonight." Charity said. "Maybe when he gets home...no after dinner...no after sex...I'll tell him when he's asleep."

Abby laughed. "Just tell him. I mean you can't hide it."

"I know." Charity replied with a sigh. She then gave Abby a hug and left the room.

Abby smiled. _I'm so glad that I didn't spill the beans! Now I hope I can keep this all secret from everyone! Why must people confide in me with exciting news?_ Abby thought to herself.


	42. Chapter 42

_Ziva..._

Ziva sat at her desk and watched as Tony and Gibbs headed to the elevator doors together. "Where are you guys going?" She asked.

"Lunch." Gibbs answered. Then he and Tony disappeared behind the elevator doors.

"I wonder what's going on with that." Ziva pondered.

"Who knows." McGee commented. "It's weird, Tony dating Charity and Gibbs seeming to be okay with it."

"You mean Tony living with Charity." Ziva corrected.

"Yeah." McGee agreed.

Suddenly, an idea struck Ziva. "I'll be back. I'm going to go see Abby." She said, standing and walking to the elevator. She stepped off when she reached Abby's floor and then headed into the lab.

"Hey Ziva." Abby said, sounding surprised.

"Tony and Gibbs went to lunch together." Ziva said, egtting right to the point.

"Oh, that's good." Abby said, sounding too dismissive about it.

"You know something." Ziva stated.

"I know nothing." Abby replied.

"I swear I won't tell anyone what it is." Ziva spoke.

"I promised I wouldn't say anything, but... Rule number four." Abby said. "Okay, I can tell you because, if I don't I might explode, but you can't say a word to anyone."

Ziva made the motion of locking her lips shut. "Go ahead."

"Tony is having lunch with Gibbs because he is asking Gibbs' permission to ask Charity to marry him." Abby spilled.

"Oh, wow. I had no idea!" Ziva said. "Well, good for them."

"That's not all." Abby said.

"You mean there's more?" Ziva inquired.

Abby nodded. "Tony doesn't know it yet, but Charity is pregnant."

Ziva's eyes widened. "There's no way." Ziva said. "That's just what the world needs Tony procreating."

Abby let out a giggle. "Now remember you can't tell anyone. Tony told me about proposing in complete confidence and Charity told me about the baby in complete confidence. If tehey find out I spilled the beans...well Charity is a Marine and I'd hate to see what she could do to me."

"I promise mom's the word." Ziva replied.

"It's mum. Mum's the word." Abby corrected.

"Right." Ziva replied.

_Tony..._

Tony sat at the counter of a small diner with Gibbs. They were both digging into some rather large burgers. Gibbs took a bite of his burger and sat it down. He finished chewing and swallowed. Then he turned to Tony.

"So, what is it you wanted to talk about, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

Tony swallowed his bite and then took a swig of his drink. "I...uhm..." Tony began searching for the words.

"Spit it out DiNozzo." Gibbs ordered.

"I wanted to ask your permission to ask Charity to marry me." Tony answered.

Gibbs nodded. He reached for his drink and took a sip. "I always knew that this day would come."

"What day is that?" Tony asked.

"The day a man got up the nerve to ask me to marry my baby girl." Gibbs answered. He took another sip of his drink and placed it back down on the table. He turned to face Tony. "She could do worse."

Tony wasn't quite sure how to take that so, he didn't say or do anything. He just sat and waited for Gibbs to continue.

"You're serious? You really want to spend the rest of your life with my daughter?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes." Tony answered. "More sure than I've ever been of anything."

Gibbs nodded. "You make her happy. I haven't seen her laugh or smile as much as she has with you since before Shannon and Kelly were killed." Gibbs said, taking a pause for a moment to remember his lost love and child. "So, I give you my blessing."

"Thanks boss." Tony replied, not sure of what else to say.

The two men then finished their lunch in silence. As he finished his lunch, Tony then began to think of when, where, and how he was going to pop the question. _Maybe I can consult with Abby._ He thought.


	43. Chapter 43

Charity stood in front of the full length mirror in her and Tony's bedroom. She had pulled a small pillow from the bed and put it under her shirt. She turned sideways and looked at her profile. She removed the pillow and tossed it back on the bed.

She then turned back to the mirror. She lifted her shirt slightly to reveal her flat taut tummy. She gently placed her hand over the bare skin. She slowly began to picture herself sitting in a rocking chair holding a small little pink or blue bundle in her arms.

"I'm going to be a mother." She breathed, speaking to herself. She looked down at her stomache and pictured the tiny life growing inside. "How the hell am I gonna be a mother?" She asked herself. "How am I gonna tell Tony?"

"I really need to quit talking to myself." She spoke.

Just then Charity heard the front door open and close. She quickly removed her hand from her stomache and let her shirt fall down. She walked out of the bedroom to greet Tony. "Hello gorgeous." He greeted her, sweeping her into his arms and giving her one very passionate kiss.

When Tony broke the kiss, Charity grinned up at him. "Well, hello to you, too." She replied.

Tony grinned devilishly at her. "I just missed you, today." he explained.

"Maybe you should miss me more often." She teased. "That was one hell of a kiss."

"So, how was your day?" He asked, walking over to the couch, pulling Charity with him. They both sat down.

"You mean, how was my doctor's appointment?" She asked.

"Oh, that was today?" He asked. "I'd completely forgotten about that."

"You're a bad liar, Tony." She teased.

"Well, how'd it go?" He asked.

"Well, I'm perfectly fine physically." Charity answered.

"But?" Tony asked.

"They don't think that I could mentally handle going over there again." Charity answered.

Tony nodded. He pulled Charity into his arms and held her. "How do you feel about it?" He asked.

"I'm honestly not sure." She replied. "I mean I'm glad that I don't have to go back, but I feel guilty because I can't go back. And I mean, now what am I going to do? I've been a Marine for so long...I mean hello I was a Marine even before I enlisted."

Tony chuckled slightly at the last part.

"I mean there's this major part of my life that's over now." She said. "Now, I have no idea what my future is gonna be."

"I feel like that is a perfect segway." Tony replied.

Charity pulled back and looked at him with a raised brow. "What are you talking about?"

"This is also going to sound really corney, but just go with it." He told her and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"O-kay." Charity replied.

"Whatever the future holds, I will be there with you...if you'll have me." Tony said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring box. He got off the couch and got down on one knee. He opened the box and looked Charity in the eye. "Will you marry me?"

Charity's eyes became huge blue orbs. Her hands flew to her mouth and she gasped. "I...I don't know what to say." She said.

"Yes, would be nice." Tony suggested with a grin.

Charity smiled. "Yes, Tony, a thousand times yes." She replied excitedly.

Tony took her left hand in his and slipped the diamond on her finger. Then he climbed back up on the couch next to Charity. He pulled her back into his arms and kissed her. "I love you." He told her.

She grinned up at him. "I love you, too."

Tony stood and then slipped his arms under Charity. He carried her into the bedroom, where he proceded to make love to her.

Afterwards, they lay cuddled up in bed. Charity played with the diamond ring now on her left ring finger. "I take it that I did good picking out the ring." Tony commented.

"What was your first clue?" She asked.

"I'm a trained federal agent." Tony said.

Charity giggled. Then she decided that now was as good a time as any to tell Tony about the baby. "You know how you'd asked me about my appointment today?"

"Yes, why? Is there something wrong?" He asked, a note of worry creeping into his voice.

"No, no. I'm perfectly healthy." She replied.

"Oh," Tony breathed a sigh of relief, "then what is it?"

Charity took a breath. _Here goes nothing._ "I'm pregant." She blurted and then waited for Tony's response.


	44. Chapter 44

"I'm pregnant." Those two little words bounced around inside of Tony's mind, unable to take root.

"Pregnant?" He repeated. "As in we are having a baby?"

"That's usually what being prenant means." Charity replied.

Tony nodded and let the news sink in. _I'm going to be a father._ He thought. _How am I gonna be a father?_

"Tony, you didn't just have a stroke or something?" Charity asked, as Tony hadn't said anything and had been staring off blankly.

Tony blinked and turned his gaze back to Charity. "I didn't just have a stroke...or at least I don't think I did." He answered.

"So, you're not happy about this?" She asked, her voice sounding weak, which was unusual.

"It's not that I'm not happy about it." Tony answered. "I'm just surprised."

"So, you are happy about it?" She asked.

"I think, I'm in shock right now. I have no idea hopw I feel about having a baby." Tony answered honestly.

Charity nodded. She still wasn't quite sure how she was feeling about the baby. Of course, Tony's reaction didn't have her feeling any better about the situation either.

Later that night, they both fell asleep. Tony woke and headed to work before Charity got up. He arrived and sat at his desk. "What are you doing here so early, Tony?" Ziva asked.

"Just thought I'd get caught up on my case reports." Tony answered.

"Get caught up some other time DiNozzo. Gear up we have a dead petty officer." Gibbs ordered, walking into the room.

The team grabbed their gear and headed out. They arrived at the crime scene and started collecting evidence. Tony was snapping pictures of the scene, while Gibbs talked to Duckie about the body.

"You're being very quiet, Tony." Ziva remarked. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine." Tony answered.

"Something is wrong." Ziva countered. "Is there something going on between you and Charity?"

"My personal life is none of your business." Tony told her, sounding a bit on edge.

Ziva threw up her hands in surrender. "I'm here if you want to talk." She told him and then went back to collecting evidence.

Later Gibbs was interrogating a suspect and Ziva was in the observation room. McGee was in the lab with Abby doing what they do best. Tony sat on a bench in the park, thinking. He looked around and watched the kids running around and playing. He observed a father playing with his kids.

He watched as a little girl with blond curls ran up to her father and threw her arms around him. "Daddy!" The little girl squealed with a smile on her face.

"That's my little princess." The father replied just as happily. He picked the little girl up and held her over his head, acting like he was flying her around.

The little girl giggled and laughed. "I love you, Daddy!"

The man brought his daughter down and held her close. "I love you, too, princess."

Tony then turned his attention to a father and son playing a game of catch close by. He saw how happy they were and how much the little boy looked up to his father. Tony then looked down at his watch. _I've got time._ He thought. Then he got up and headed for his car.

Tony drove to a near-by store. He walked in and instantly felt completely lost. He must have looked as lost as he felt because an older woman, a sales woman, walked up to him and said, "Can I help you with anything?"

"I just found out my fiance is pregnant and I want to get something." He answered.

The sales lady nodded. "First baby, huh?"

"That obvious?" He asked.

The older woman just laughed. "This way hon. I know the perfect thing."

_Charity..._

Charity sat on the couch in the apartment, looking through her photo album. She found a picture of her with her mom and sister. She looked at the picture and spoke, "Mom, how'd you do it?" She asked. "I mean I only had six years with you, but I couldn't imagine any better a mother than you."

Charity sighed and closed the book. She continued to look at the closed book. "Was Dad shocked after you told him you were pregnant with Kelly?" She closed her eyes and laid her head against the back of the couch. "I wish you were here, Mom." A few tears started to fall down her face.

"Well, I went and did it." came a familiar voice. "I made you cry."

Charity's eyes flew open in surprise as she looked up at Tony. She quickly wiped the tears away. "I'm not crying." She protested. "It's allergies."

Tony sat down beside her. He then held up a small bag. "Open it." He said, handing it to her.

Charity opened the bag and pulled out a pair of small white baby booties. "So, this means you're happy about having a baby?" She asked.

"Yes." Tony answered with a smile. "Last night, I wasn't unhappy. I was just shocked and scared. I'm still scared, but the more I think about it, the more excited I get."

Charity smiled. "You aren't the only one whose scared here. I'm half terrified and half excited."

Tony wrapped an arm around Charity and pulled her close. "I love you and I'm happy that we are having a baby." He told her. "You are gonna be a great mom."

Charity wrapped her arms around Tony. "I love you, too. I'm glad that I have you." She told him. "And I think you'll be a pretty awesome dad."

Tony cleared his throat and pulled back slightly. "Speaking of dads, how are we gonna tell your dad?" He asked.

"I have no idea." Charity answered. "And what about your dad?"

"If can get ahold of him." Tony responded. Before either of them could say anything else, Tony's cell was ringing. It was Gibbs ordering Tony back to NCIS. Tony gave Charity a kiss and then left for work.

Charity stayed sitting on the couch. She picked up the booties and held them by the strings. She looked at them and then looked down at her stomache. Then a grin broke out across her face.


	45. Chapter 45

A few days later, Tony and Charity had decided how they were going to tell Gibbs and everyone else. They'd decided to invite everyone out to dinner and they would announce that they were engaged and having a baby.

Charity had just stepped out of the shower and was standing in front of the closet, wrapped in a towel. She was trying to decide what to wear, when Tony came in. "Drop that towel and this is one of my fantasies." He teased.

Charity laughed and turned to face him. "Now, you know I can't do that. We have to get ready."

"Hey, a guy can dream." He said walking over to stand beside her. He reached into the closet and pulled out a slinky green dress. "You should wear this sexy little number."

Charity smiled up at him. "Since when did you become my personal stylist?" She teased.

"The first time I saw that beautiful body of yours." He answered.

Charity took the dress from his hand. Then she dropped the towel.

"You are a cruel cruel woman." He told her. "Dangling the cookie in front of my face and then telling me I can't have it."

"As with any dessert, you have to wait until after dinner." She teased.

Tony grinned. "I'm holding you to that."

Charity then got dressed and headed to brush her hair. She decided to pull it back from her face, but leave half of it down. Soon she and Tony were ready and they were headed out the door.

They arrived at the restaurant a few minutes before everyone else. Tony ordered a bottle of whine for the table. "Oh sure, get something the pregnant lady can't have." She chided.

Tony grinned at her. "Hey, some of us need a little liquid courage to face your father."

Charity just laughed. "He's not that bad." She replied. "He actually likes you."

"See, that's the scary part. I'd hate to see how he treats someone he doesn't like." Tony replied.

"Who are you talking about?" Gibbs asked, walking up with Abby.

"No one important, boss." Tony answered.

Charity got up and hugged her dad.

"Haven't seen you for a few days, baby girl. Are you alright?" He asked.

"Fine, Daddy." She answered.

Soon, Ziva, McGee, and Duckie arrived. "You look very nice." Ziva observed as she and Charity hugged.

"Thank you." Charity replied. "I love your dress."

"Thank you." Ziva said.

Everyone took their seats and soon the waiter arrived to with the whine. He poured everyone a glass, except for Charity, who declined and asked for an iced tea. The waiter then left to give them a few minutes. He then returned and took their orders.

Charity reached out with her left hand to grab her glass. "Is that an engagement ring I see on your finger?" Abby inquired, practically bouncing in her seat.

Charity grinned. "Like you don't already know the answer to that." Charity replied.

"You two are getting married?" McGee asked in disbelief.

"Yes, McProbie." Tony replied. "You have a problem with that?"

"N...no." McGee answered.

"Well, congratulations Tony." Ziva said. "And Charity I give you my condolences."

"Congratulations." Duckie said. "I would say that this calls for a toast."

"Hold on there Duck." Gibbs said. He then turned his attention to his daughter. "There's something else, isn't there? Don't tell me you two eloped."

Charity grinned at her father. "There is something else, but no we didn't elope."

"You're not going to elope are you?" Gibbs asked.

"Of course not, Grandpa." Charity answered.

Gibbs's eyes widened. "You're kidding."

"Nope." Charity answered.

"So then..." Gibbs asked, trailing off.

"Yes." Charity answered.

"Will someone please tell me what is going on here?" McGee asked.

Everyone ignored McGee and turned their attention to Gibbs. "So, you're finally giving me a grandbaby." Gibbs said, smirking at his daughter.

Charity grinned. "I never knew you wanted one."

"I don't believe this." McGee muttered.

Abby turned to McGee. "What don't you believe, Tim?" She asked.

"Come on, they dated secretly for a while and then they move in together. Now they're getting married and having a baby and Tony's still alive?" McGee replied.

"I'm just that special McGoober." Tony told McGee.

Just then the waiter returned with their orders. The group ate their food and toasted Tony and Charity. After they finished dinner and were leaving, Abby went to rub her hand on Charity's stomache.

Charity grabbed Abby's hand. "Do not touch the tummy." She said. "At least not until I actually look pregnant."

"Got it." Abby said, pulling her hand back. She settled on hugging Charity. "Oh, I am so happy for you guys!" She squealed and then hugged Tony, too.

"Congratulations." Duckie said, moving in for his hug.

Charity hugged Duckie back. "Thanks Duckie." She then gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Duckie shook Tony's hand and congratulated him. Ziva and Charity hugged. Then Gibbs pulled his daughter into his arms for a hug. "I love you baby girl." He said. Then he whispered in her ear. "Don't tell him, but you've got a pretty good guy here."

Charity grinned. "I love you, too, Daddy. And I promise I won't say a word." She replied, whispering the last part.

Gibbs pulled back and then gave Charity a kiss on the forehead. He turned to Tony. "You take care of her and the baby." Gibbs told Tony.

"I will boss." Tony replied.

"Good." Gibbs told him.

Everyone then parted their ways and went to their homes. Later that night, Tony and Charity were laying bed, cuddled up after making love. "I'd say that tonight went pretty well." Tony said.

"Definately." She replied. "Now, let's get some sleep. I'm exhausted from all this celebrating."

"The celebrating before or after we came home?" He asked, his tone teasing.

Charity giggled. "If I told you, then I'd have to kill you."

"So, that's the way you're gonna do this?" Tony asked.

Charity nodded. "I will not utter a word."

"Then I'll just have to get the information out of you then."

"What are you gonna do, torture me?"

A wicked grin crossed Tony's face. "Why yes, yes I am." He then preceded to tickle her.

_Gibbs..._

Gibbs arrive home and poured himself a cup of coffee. He headed down the steps to his basement and pulled out a piece of drafting paper. He sat down and began making plans for a new project.

Once he had finished the draft, Gibbs rose from his stool and walked over to his tool box. He opened it up and looked at the photos he head there. His gaze found a picture of a two-year-old Charity playing on the beach. Gibbs sighed and turned his attention to a picture of Shannon.

"Our baby is having a baby." Gibbs spoke aloud.


	46. Chapter 46

A week later Tony and Charity sat in the doctor's office. They were going to hear the baby's heart beat. The doctor entered the room, "Hello Miss Gibbs." She greeted Charity. Then she turned her attention to Tony, "And you must be the father to be."

"I'm Tony DiNozzo." He told her.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. DiNozzo. Are you two ready to hear your baby's heart beat?" She asked.

Tony and Charity both nodded. The doctor pulled out the eqipment and hooked it up to Charity. She flipped it on and soon the sound arrived. "Well, that's interesting." The doctor said, looking at the screen.

"What's that?" Charity asked. "Is the baby okay?"

"Everything is fine." The doctor replied.

"Then what is it?" Tony asked.

_NCIS..._

Ziva and McGee were setting at their desks when the elevator doors opened and Tony and Charity stepped off. Tony didn't say a word as he headed to his desk and sat down.

"Is everything okay?" Ziva asked, looking at Charity.

"He's been like this ever since the doctor gave us the news." Charity answered.

"What news?" McGee asked.

Before Charity could answer, her dad was walking in. "Hey baby girl." He greeted coming up and giving her a hug.

"Hey daddy." She replied.

"Charity, what news has Tony speechless?" Ziva asked. "It's a nice change of pace, I want to be able to repeat the results."

Charity grinned. "There's no way you could repeat it."

Gibbs furrowed his brow. "What news? Is this something about my grandbaby?"

"Only the fact that it is very likely grand_babies_." Charity answered. "Two heart beats."

"Twins." Tony said from his seat.

Charity turned to face Tony. She then walked over to him and gave him a slap to the back of the head. "Snap out of it."

Tony looked up at her in surprise. "You just Gibbs slapped me."

"Well, until we get married, I am still a Gibbs so I qualify." She replied.

Gibbs smirked. "So, you're sure it's twins?" He asked.

"Not completely." Charity answered. "The doctor did say that the second heart beat could have been mine, but it's more likely twins."

"Which means we need a bigger place." Tony said.

"That would be helpful." Charity agreed.

Before anyone else could say anything, Abby entered the room. "So, how'd it go? How is Baby Dibbs?" She asked.

Tony and Charity both looked up at Abby. "Baby Dibbs?" They asked.

"Yeah, DiNozzo and Gibbs." She replied. "That's your baby's name until you find out if it's a boy or girl."

Charity laughed and shook her head. "Well, you're going to have to come up with another name."

"What? Why? I thought Dibbs was cute." Abby asked, her face falling.

"That's not it." Charity said.

"We are likely having twins." Tony finished.

Abby's face broke out into a big grin. She then started jumping up and down. "This is super exciting!" She then ran over to Charity and pulled her into a hug. Then she broke the hug with Charity and ran over to hug Tony.

Tony hugged Abby back and laughed. "Why are you so excited?"

Abby pulled back. "Because this means I get twice as many _I love you, Aunt Abby_'s from the twins." Abby answered. She then turned to Charity.

Later that night, Tony and charity sat on the couch cuddled up and watching a movie. "So, are you feeling a little better about having twins?" Charity asked Tony.

"Yeah." He answered. "We seriously need to start looking for a new place though. Maybe we could go to the bank and get preapproved for a loan."

"Wait, are you wanting to buy a house?" Charity asked, raising a brow.

"Well, it might be nice if the twins could have a yard to play in and have their own rooms." Tony said.

Charity grinned. "I was thinking the same thing."

"Alright, bank tomorrow and then contacting a real estate agent." Tony said.

"And then the house hunt begins." Charity concluded.


	47. Chapter 47

A couple of weeks later, Charity was getting dressed and ready to head to NCIS. She and Abby had lunch plans. Charity pulled on a t-shirt and grabbed a pair of jeans. She slipped on the jeans, but couldn't get them zipped or buttoned.

Charity lifted her shirt and looked in the mirror. Her stomache was swelling slightly. "I guess it's stretchy pants for me." She said to herself. She then slid out of the jeans and pulled out a pair of sweat pants.

Once she was dressed, Charity headed out and hopped in her car. She drove to NCIS and headed to Abby's lab. Charity entered the lab and Abby turned to greet her. "Hello." Abby chirped.

"Hey Abby." Charity replied.

"So, I've got it." Abby said, as Charity came to sit down.

"You've got what?" Charity asked.

"The other name for the baby." Abby answered. "We have baby Dibbs and now baby Chony."

Charity laughed. "Okay, that works."

Abby pulled out the food she'd brought for their lunch and started opening the containers. "So, how's the house hunting going?" Abby asked.

"Horrible." Charity answered. "Tony and I are very picky."

"Well, of course, you guys want the best for Dibbs and Chony." Abby replied with a grin.

Charity couldn't help but grin back. "I don't know why, but I feel like we're going to just know when it's the right house."

"Well of course." Abby said. "There are four things in life that when you find them, you just know they're the one."

"What are these four things?" Charity inquired.

"Car, man, house, and wedding dress." Abby answered.

Charity laughed. "Okay, I can see that."

"So, speaking of wedding dress, have you and Tony set a date yet?" Abby asked.

"Not yet." Charity replied. "We've been too busy house hunting and talking about baby stuff."

Abby nodded. "Okay, you know I am amazing at wedding planning, so when you guys do finally set a date, I would be more than happy to help plan the wedding."

Charity giggled. "I promise I will call you as soon as we set a date." She replied. Then she dug into the food Abby had sat in front of her.

The two friends finished the food and sat and visited for a while. "So, what's with the sweat pants?" Abby asked.

"My jeans won't fit anymore." Charity answered.

"Does that mean that under that baggy t-shirt you look pregnant and I can touch the tummy?" Abby asked, excitedly.

Charity narrowed her gaze. "No."

"I'll be the judge of that." Abby said, getting up and reaching over to lift Charity's shirt slightly.

Charity pulled away quickly. "I said no."

"Charity Faith." Abby said.

"Don't you throw my middle name around like that." Charity replied.

"I will rub that tummy." Abby said.

"You'll have to catch me first." Charity said, getting up and running to the elevator.

Abby dashed after Charity, but was too late as the elevator doors closed.

Charity stepped off the elevator and entered the squadroom. She found Tony and ran over to stand behind him. "Hide me." She said.

"Who am I hiding you from?" He asked.

"Abby." Charity answered.

"Why?" He asked.

Just then the elevator doors opened and Abby stepped off the elevator. "Charity Faith Gibbs." She said walking over to Tony and Charity.

"Hey, only my father can use my full name and take that tone with me." Charity protested.

"I just want to rub the baby bump." Abby said.

"It's not big enough to qualify as a baby bump yet." Charity countered.

"How do I know that?" Abby asked. "You won't let me see it or touch it."

Charity decided to stare Abby down. Abby countered by pouting. Charity gave up and let out a sigh. "Fine, you can rub it." She said, stepping out from behind Tony.

"Yay." Abby said clapping her hands together. Charity stepped in front of Abby. Abby put both of her hands on Charity's stomache and moved them around.

"Abby, I said you could rub it, not fondle it."

Tony sat at his desk, watching the scene, trying to contain his laughter. Charity turned to him and glared. "You find this funny?"

"Just a little." Tony replied, smiling.


	48. Chapter 48

A week later, Tony and Charity look at houses again. They look at the first five, not finding anything they like. Then they pull into the driveway of the sixth house for that day. It was a Victorian style house.

"This place looks promising." Charity mused.

"It does." Tony agreed.

They got out of the car and headed up the front walk to meet their realator on the front porch. She takes them on a tour of the house. "The previous owners restored it." The realtor said. "They wanted it to look like it did back in the day. They updated the plumbing and the kitchen."

The house was beautiful. It had four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large living room, a family room, a kitchen, a fully finished basement (redone by the previous owners), a two car attached garage, a large front entrance that held the staircase, and a fireplace in every bedroom and in the living room.

Once they had finished touring the inside of the house, the realtor led Tony and Charity outside to the backyard. The backyard was huge and surrounded by a rather large privacy fence. The landscaping was beautiful complete with flower beds and trees. One of the trees even had a tree house.

"You know, this is the perfect backyard for the twins grow up and play in." Charity said.

Tony nodded his agreement. "I like everything about this house."

"Me, too." Charity replied.

"So, is this your house?" The realtor asked.

Tony and Charity shared a look. They both smiled and then nodded to each other. "Yes." Tony answered.

"Alright, I'll start the paperwork." She replied happily.

_NCIS..._

Gibbs sat at his desk, waiting for Charity or Tony to call and give him the news of how their house hunt was going. Just as he was pulling out his cell phone to call his daughter, she and Tony were stepping off the elevator.

"Hey Daddy." She greeted brightly.

"Hey baby girl. How'd the house hunt go today?" He asked.

"We found a house." Charity answered excitedly.

"Did you just say you found a house and you didn't wait for me to get here to announce it?" Abby asked walking up to the group.

"Yes." Charity answered, not being ashamed at all. "I'm excited."

"So, when do you move in?" Gibbs asked.

"Hopefully in around a month." Charity answered.

"The house has to pass the inspection and we have to sign the next thirty years of our life away." Tony added.

Gibbs smirked, remembering having to do the same thing quite a few years ago.


	49. Chapter 49

A few days later, Tony, Ziva, and McGee were getting caught up on case reports, when Gibbs entered the room. "Gear up, we have a dead Marine." He ordered.

The team grabbed their gear and followed Gibbs out. They soon arrived at the crime scene. The Marine looked as if he had been beaten badly. Duckie looked at the body. "It appears this poor boy did not go gently." Duckie observed, noticing multiple defense wounds, bruises, cuts, and deeps gashes. They identified him as Private Marshal Nelson.

"Can you give me a cause of death, Duck?" Gibbs inquired.

"Not until I can get him on the table." Duckie replied." But it would appear that he was beaten to death."

Duckie and Palmer took the body away and the team finished collecting evidence. Everyone soon returned to NCIS. Duckie performed the autopsy and determined that the COD was a blunt force trauma to the head.

McGee was sifting through the dead Marines phone records when Gibbs walked in the room. "What's ya got for me?" He asked.

"Well, Boss," McGee began, "the night before Private Nelson died, he made three calls to this number." McGee then highlighted the number. "He'd also made multiple calls to that same number in the last two months."

"Can you find out who it was registered to, McGee?" Gibbs asked.

"It's a disposable phone." McGee answered.

Gibbs let out a sigh. "DiNozzo, David, either of you have anything for me?"

"Nelson was pretty ordinary." Ziva spoke up. "No past criminal record, an unextraordinary service record. No issures with anyone."

"He led a pretty ordinary life." Tony added.

Gibbs looked at his team. "So, other than a burn phone, we have no leads?"

"Wait a second boss." McGee said.

"What is it?" Gibbs asked.

"Whoever owns that burn phone has just turned it on." McGee answered. "It's not as useless as we thought."

"Track it McGee." Gibbs ordered. "DiNozzo, David, go after our suspect."

Tony and Ziva headed out for the car. Tony got in the driver's side and once Ziva was inside, he took off following McGee's directions. They soon arrived and found a man standing in the parking lot of an abandoned store and using a cheap cell phone.

Tony and Ziva got out of the car and began to approach the suspect. The man turned spotted them. He took the phone away from his ear and turned it off. "Did Nelson send you two?" He asked, his voice holding an English accent.

"Sort of." Tony replied. "Private Nelson is dead."

"And we need you to come with us." Ziva added.

"Who are you? The local police?" He asked.

"No, we're NCIS." Tony answered.

"Now, who are you?" Ziva asked.

"I can't tell you here." he answered. "I'll come with you to NCIS then I will let you know everything you wish to know."

They hopped into the car and returned to NCIS. Tony and Ziva took the suspect into interrogation. "So, tell me everything starting with who you are and your connection to Private Nelson?" Tony asked.

"My name is Roger Moore, I'm with the British Secret service."

**A/N: With the new James Bond movie having come out yesterday, I had to throw this in here. My husband loves James Bond and yes I got the name for this character from one of the actors who played Bond.**


	50. Chapter 50

"My name is Roger Moore,I'm with the British Secret Service." The man answered.

Tony looked at the man. "So, you want to play games?" Tony asked.

"You think I'm kidding?" Roger asked. "I'm absolutely serious. Hvae your director check with MI6."

"I will." Tony replied, standing up and walking out of the room.

Ziva met Tony as he left the room. "Why do you think he's kidding?" She asked.

"Roger Moore is the name of one of the six actors who've played James Bond in the movie franchise." Tony answered.

"Oh." Ziva said, understanding lighting her features.

They stepped on the elevator and entered the squadroom. "What did you two find?" Gibbs asked.

"The guy says his name is Roger Moore and that he;s with the British Secret Service." Tony answered.

"So, he's either crazy or he's playing with us." Gibbs stated.

"He insists that we have Vance check with MI6." Tony told Gibbs.

"So, crazy." Gibbs said. "I'll go tell Vance and have him check." Gibbs then left the room and headed for Vance's office.

Tony and Ziva both went over to their desks and sat down. They then started to follow more of the evidence. "What are you going to do if he's telling the truth?' Ziva asked Tony.

"I would have to say that he has one of the coolest names for his job." Tony answered.

About an hour later, Gibbs was coming back from the director's office. "Go get him. He's telling the truth and he has orders to cooperate with us and tell us everything about his mission that involved Private Nelson." Gibbs said.

Tony and Ziva nodded and got up from their desks. They headed back to interrogation. "Alright, you're coming with us." Tony said.

"So, your director called MI6?" Roger asked.

"Yes, he did." Ziva answered, getting a better look at the man. He was at least six-feet tall. He had dark hair and blue eyes. He was also rather muscular.

The trio walked out of the room and hopped on the elevator. They stepped off later and walked into the squadroom. Gibbs walked over to the group. "Agent Moore." He greeted. "I'm Special Agent Gibbs."

"Gibbs?" Roger asked, the name familiar to him. "Well, are you the man in charge here?"

"Yes." Gibbs answered. "Now, you have orders to cooperate with our investigation into the death of a Marine."

"What is your Marine's name?" He asked.

"Private Marshal Nelson." Gibbs answered. "We have records of him calling you three times the night before his death. You are to tell us everything about the opparation you were working involving Private Nelson."

"Alright, then shall we have a seat? This may take a while." Roger replied.

_Charity..._

Charity headed to NCIS to have lunch with Abby. Charity walked into the lab and found Abby sitting in front of her computer. "Hey Charity." Abby greeted. Then she got up and hugged Charity. Then she began to rub the small baby bump. "And how are Dibbs and Chony today?"

"They are fine now quit fondling my belly." Charity replied. "And I'm doing fine by the way."

Abby dropped her hand and smiled sheepishly at Charity. "Sorry, now shall we lunch?"

Charity giggled. "Alright."

Abby pulled out her lunch and Charity pulled out the sandwhich she'd brought. They both sat down and began to eat. "So, how are things going today?" Charity inquired. "Anything exciting in the land of Labby?"

"Awe, you remembered my name for my lab." Abby chirped.

"So, anything new and exciting?" Charity repeated her question.

"Well, we are working this case and it crossed over with the British Secret Service." Abby answered.

"Seriously?" Charity asked.

Abby nodded.

"I bet Tony is having so much fun with this." Charity replied with a grin.

"Oh you don't even know the half of it."

"Oh really?" Charity asked, her brow raised in interest.

"Yeah, the guy's name is Roger Moore." Abby responded.

Charity's demeanor instantly changed. Her smile disappeared and a hard look fixed itself on her face. "Are you serious?"

"Yes." Abby answered. "Is something wrong?"

"Where is he?" Charity asked, ignoring Abby's question.

"I believe he's in the squadroom with the team."

"Okay." Charity replied and then got up and headed for the elevator.

Abby had no idea what possessed her to do so, but she got up and follwed Charity. The ride to the squadroom was silent and Abby felt too afraid to say anything. Charity looked deadly.

The doors opened and the two women stepped off. Charity spotted Roger standing in front of the large screen. She began to approach him and he turned around. As soon as Roger spotted Charity, a look of surprise came over his face.

"Corporal Gibbs." he said.

Charity lifted her fist and threw it into his face, hitting his nose as hard as she could. "That's for Katie you lying bastard!" She said, as she watched him fall to the floor holding his nose.


	51. Chapter 51

"That's for Katie, you lying bastard!" Charity said, as Roger fell to the floor.

Roger landed flat on his butt. He held his hand to his nose. Blood filled his nose and covered his hand. He let out a groan. Then he looked up at Charity and if looks could kill, he'd be dead.

Gibbs stood behind his daughter to one side and motioned for Tony to come stand on the other. Everyone watched in stunned silence as Roger slowly stood up still holding his nose.

"I think you broke my nose." He accused Charity.

"You're lucky that's all I did you coward." She replied, her voice filled with venom.

"I'm surprised by you Corporal." He said.

"Surprised to see me alive, you mean." Charity corrected him. She then started to lunge for him, but Gibbs and Tony each grabbed an arm and held her back. She thrashed against their hold.

"Baby girl, calm down." Gibbs told her, but she ignored him and still thrashed. "Corporal Gibbs, stop!" Gibbs ordered. This time Charity stopped thrashing and just glared at Roger.

"What's going on out here?" Vance demanded coming out of nowhere.

"Just solving some old issues." Roger answered, waving off the issue as if Tony and Gibbs weren't the only thing keeping him alive at that very moment.

Vance looked at the MI6 agent and then looked to Charity. "Did she hit him?" He asked.

"I did, sir." Charity answered.

"Why?" Vance asked.

"Because he's a lying cowardly bastard." She replied.

"Really it's classified." Roger added.

"Yes, keep it all a secret so you can look like a hero." Charity retorted.

"Alright, Gibbs, DiNozzo, take her down to the conference room to cool off." Vance ordered. "McGee get Dr. Mallard up here to take a look at his nose."

McGee nodded and called Duckie.

"I'm going to go find out if I can get ahold of this classified information." Vance said and then left.

_Charity, Tony, and Gibbs..._

Tony and Gibbs took Charity into the conference room and made her sit down. Tony sat down on one side of her and Gibbs sat down on the other. "Baby girl, what is going on?" Gibbs asked.

"What did he tell you he did?" She asked calmly.

"He said he works with U.S. Marines to bring down terrorists." Tony answered

Charity let out a dry laugh. "Ha! He doesn't work with us, he uses us."

"What's going on?" Tony asked.

"I'm not at liberty to say." Charity answered, hating not being able to tell the truth.

"Well, you are now Corporal." Vance said, entering the room.

Charity looked up. "So, I'm finally allowed to tell the truth?" She asked.

"Yes." Vance answered, taking a seat across from her. "Now, tell us why you hate Agent Moore so much?"

Charity nodded and took a deep breath. "You remember the bombing of that school? The one that I survived?" She asked.

Everyone in the room nodded.

"It never happened." Charity said.

"What do you mean?" Tony asked.

"It was a cover story." Charity answered. "My unit had been deployed for about a week, when Agent Moore came to our camp. He spoke with our C.O. and then selected five of us for a special mission. Myself, Corporal Katherine Marks, Corporal Lilly Banks, Private Linly Wood, and Private Shelby Green were the five selected."

"What was the mission?" Vance asked.

"He told us we were going to be stopping a small terrorist cell." Charity answered. "The one thing he didn't tell us was that we were walking into our deaths."

"What exactly happened Corporal?" Vance asked.

"We entered a compound that had suspicious activity. They were prepared for us. They knew we were coming." Charity answered. She then began to tell the tale taht she had been keeping burried for so long.

_Flashback..._

_Charity and her team entered the compound, following Roger's instructions. They were instantly met with resistance. Guns began to fire from where they couldn't tell. Charity took cover behind a wall, Katie next to her._

_ "They were prepared for us." Katie said._

_ "Yes, they knew we were coming." Charity agreed._

_ Roger came up to them. "What are you two waiting for? Go! We have to stop them." He ordered._

_ Charity and Katie looked at each other, determined looks on their faces. The two women grabbed their guns and turned to fire at the approaching enemy. They let a few rounds go and then turned back. The fighting continued, but soon it was over and Charity and her team were captured._

_ The terrorists had all six of them lined up and down on their knee, their hands behind their backs. "So, you thought you could stop me?" The leader asked. "With a group of women and one man?"_

_ No one in the team spoke._

_ The leader let out a laugh. Then he walked down to Roger. "You, it would be a disgrace for you to die with these women. So, as a fellow man, I'm going to give you a choice."_

_ "A choice?" Roger asked, fear in his voice._

_ "You can stay here and die with these women or you can go and live to tell an honorable tale of how you tried to save these ladies, but couldn't. You will be a hero. What is your choice?"_

_ The five women watched Roger as he made his choice. "I choose to live and be a hero." Roger answered after a moment of thought._

_ "Good choice." Then the leader motioned for one of his men to untie Roger's hands._

_ The five Marines watched as Roger stood and ran off into the night. "So, which one of you ladies will die first?" The leader asked. _

_ "How about you die instead." Charity suggested, her tone full of hate and disgust._

_ The man smiled. "You then."_

_ "Die Prick." Katie said, from next to Charity._

_ "Or perhaps you wish to die first?" The man said, a reptilian smile on his face. "Or perhaps you should both die together?"_

_ "Whatever you do, you won't live for very long after you kill us." Lily said from her place in the line._

_ The leader motioned for his men to bring the women to their feet. "I hear that you U.S. Marines are very tough. Shall we see just how tough you are?" _

_ He then proceded to torture the five Marines. After hours of torture, he stopped. "Let them heal up and then we'll start all over."_

_Present..._

"He did terrible things to us." Charity said. "He made us watch as he tortured each of us." Tears were stinging her eyes, as she told her story. "I don't know how long we were captured, but a bomb was dropped on the compound. Our captors were killed by it, but we were still half alive, but trapped. It was days before anyone came to the ruins of the compound. By that time, I was the only one left alive."

"So, you hate Agent Moore because he left?" Vance asked.

Charity looked up at Vance. "The bomb that was dropped on the compound, was ordered to be dropped by Agent Moore." Charity responded. "Our C.O. didn't know what was going on when Moore came back alone. The story Moore told didn't add up to the Major. So after he found out about the bombing, he and the rest of our unit came and dug us out of the rubble. Moore left us for dead."


	52. Chapter 52

"...Moore left us for dead." After Charity spoke these words, silence filled the room.

"Why is there no investigation going on about this?" Vance asked.

"I think there is." Charity spoke. "When the doctors cleared me for visitors in the hospital, the Major came and asked me what happened. When I told him he told me to use the cover story Moore had fabricated and he would contact MI6 and there would be an investigation."

"Well, why hasn't anything turned up?" Gibbs asked.

Charity leveled a calm gaze at her father. "Because, the only thing they have to go on is my word and going through what I went through, not too many people will find me a credible witness."

"Let's go to MTAC. All of us." Vance said standing up. "We'll have a video conference with the head of MI6 and your C.O."

The group nodded and got up to followed Vance to MTAC. Tony walked next to Charity, keeping his arm around her, knowing that this was hard for her. "You doing okay?" He asked.

"I'll be fine." Charity answered, smiling weakly.

They soon arrived at MTAC and Vance told the techs who he wanted to video conference. After about twenty minutes, the two men he wished to speak with appeared on the screen.

"What's this about Director Vance? I've already confirmed that Roger Moore is one of my agents." The head of MI6 asked.

"Why don't you tell me about a mission he worked on with a group of five Marines from Major Larson's unit. One of those Marines being Corporal Charity Gibbs." Vance replied and gestured for Charity to come forward.

Charity stepped forward. "Did you ever start an investigation?" She asked.

The Major and the head of MI6 exchanged a look. Then the Major spoke up. "Corporal, we did start an investogation with MI6, but we haven't been able to find much."

"Well, then you need to get your asses in gear and find something." Charity said, unable to keep her mouth shut.

"Corporal Gibbs." Major Larson began.

"That was directed more towards MI6." Charity told her C.O.

"Corporal, we have been doing the best we can." he said, placating her.

"Then do better." Charity said.

"Corporal, we..." He started.

Charity made a cutting motion to silence him. "Look do you have any idea what it's like to be held captive and be tortured and watch people you're close to be tortured? Do you have any idea what it's like when there's finally a break in torture, a bomb lands on the compound and traps you and your friends in rubble? Do you know what it's like to watch your friends slowly die and then have to lie in the rubble with their dead bodies? Do you have any idea what that does to you?"

The lead of MI6 was speechless. "I...uh..." He stumbled.

"Give us everything you have and let us see what we can find." Gibbs said.

"I don't know..."

"We can find the evidence and we can finally bring an end to this." Vance said.

The MI6 leader let out a sigh. "Alright, I'll give you complete access to Moore's files."

"Does Moore know he's being investigated?" Gibbs asked.

"No."

"Good."

They were given the information they needed and then cut the communication. Vance headed back to his office and Gibbs, Tony, and Charity headed back to the squadroom. Abby was still there and Duckie was walking in.

Abby looked at Charity and saw that she looked angry and sad all at the same time. "Are you okay?" She asked looking at Charity.

"Just peachy." Charity answered.

Duckie then looked at Charity. "You my dear broke that poor fellow's nose."

"He's no poor fellow." Charity said. "He's lucky that's all I did."

"What did he do to you?" Duckie asked.

"You don't want to know." She answered.

"Enough talking." Gibbs said. "We are now taking over the investigation of Roger Moore from MI6."

"What is he under investiagtion for?" Ziva asked.

Gibbs turned to Charity. "You explain."

"He ran out on a battle and left the team he took for dead." Charity told Ziva.

"Who was on the team?" McGee asked.

"Myself and four of my friends." Charity answered.

Gibbs gave Ziva and McGee the information he needed to access the files and then set his team to work. Even though Gibbs hated to, he had to have Charity explain the situation to Ziva and McGee.

After about three hours, McGee looked up from his computer. "I have something and he's even worse than just a coward."


	53. Chapter 53

The team gathered around to see what McGee had found. He had found some recordings and played them for the group. Once they had finished the recordings, Charity looked like she was going to kill someone. "That bastard!"

"Get him to interrogation, now." Gibbs ordered.

Ziva got up and headed to autopsy to find Agent Moore still there. His nose was all bandaged up. "You're coming with me." She said.

"Do you always treat agents from sister agencies this way?" he asked.

Ziva said nothing and led him to interrogation. "Have a seat and feel free to make yourself comfortable. You will probably be here a while." She told him and then left the room.

Tony and Charity stood in the observation room and watched as Moore stewed. "How are you feeling?" Tony asked Charity.

"Anxious." She answered. "I've been waiting for this bastard to pay for his crime and now I find out it's even worse than I thought."

Tony wrapped an arm around her and pulled close to him. He kissed the top of her head. He didn't say anything, he just held her close. Charity wrapped her arms around Tony and pulled herself as close to him as she could. _Life was easier when the monsters weren't real and Dad could protect me from them._ She thought.

After about an hour, Gibbs entered the observation room. "I just got finished talking with MI6." He stated. "They agreed that since it was a crime against U.S. Marines that he would face our justice system." Then Gibbs explained to them, what his punishment would be exactly.

They let Moore set for a few more minutes and then Gibbs told Charit to come with him into interrogation. Tony stayed in the observation room and Ziva joined him. They watched as Gibbs and Charity walked in and Moore looked up.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hit you again." Charity said.

Gibbs sat down in across from Moore and Charity took the seat next to her father. "What's this about, Agent Gibbs?" Moore asked.

"You working with terrorists and killing U.S. Marines." Gibbs answered.

"I never..." He began.

Gibbs made a motion to cut him off. "We know that you took Corporal Gibbs and four other female Marines on a mission to stop a terrorist cell and then left them for dead. Then this is what we found." Gibbs told him.

Just as Gibbs finished his sentence McGee was coming in with a laptop. He clicked on an audio file. "This is a recording of you speaking with the terrorists you were supposed to stop." McGee said. He hit play.

_The recording_

_"So, you have the team?" asked a foreign voice._

_"Yes, we will be coming in at the stroke of midnight." Roger's voice came over the recording._

_"Good. We get to kill more of our enemy and you get to be a hero."_

_End recording._

"We have more of the recordings." Gibbs said. "You planned for months. You planned to take a team of Marines into their deaths. You would say that they were captured and killed, but you couldn't save them. Of course, you didn't tell the terrorists that you were going to bomb them. That would kill everyone who could dispute your story and you could tell everyone that you were a hero."

Moore glared. "Fine, but you know you have to turn me over to MI6."

"Actually, we don't. You see we spoke with the leader of MI6 and he agreed that since your crime was against US Marines, you have to face our justice system." Gibbs told Moore. "Charity tell him what his crime has won him."

Charity turned to Moore and smirked at him. "You get a vactaion for an undetermined amount of time to a lovely tropical place known as Gitmo."

"But, what about a trial and fairness and all that rubbish you Americans love so much?" Moore asked.

"We're invoking the Patriot Act." Gibbs answered. "You worked with terrorists. You get to skip over all that rubbish."

The doors to interrogation opened up and two Marines walked in to take Moore away. Before they took him, Moore looked at Charity. "How did you survive? You should be dead and I should be off scott free." He said.

Charity looked at him, a smirk on her face. "I'm kinda hard to kill." She told him. "Besides, you don't mess with Marines."

The two Marines then escorted Moore out and he was soon on his way to Gitmo.

_Later that night..._

Tony and Charity laid in bed cuddled up. "Are you feeling okay?" Tony asked her for probably the zillionth time since she had told her story.

"I'm fine." She answered. "Finally getting to tell the truth of what happened and seeing Moore get shipped off to Gitmo, made me feel a lot better."

"Are you sure?" He asked. "I mean I was actually getting a little scared of you."

Charity looked up at him. "You mean just coming up out of nowhere and breaking Moore's nose?" She asked.

"Not just that, but when we were in MTAC and you were reading the head of MI6 the riot act." Tony answered. "I mean, you were just like your dad in there."

"So, what part of that scared you exactly?" she asked.

"You being just like your dad." Tony answered with a sarcastic grin.

Charity let out a giggle. She then strecthed and kissed Tony. "This is one of the reasons I love you." she told him.

"What's that?" Tony asked.

"No matter what kind of horrible stuff I've gone through, no matter how aweful of a day I've had, you can always make me smile and laugh." she answered. "You make me feel safe and normal."

Tony pulled Charity closer and kissed her. "I'm happy to help. Besides as long as I'm making you smile and laugh, that means you can't be mad at me and want to break my nose."

Charity giggled. "I like your face too much to want to damage it in any way."

"Well, that's good."

The couple shared one more kiss before falling asleep.


	54. Chapter 54

After Tony left for work the next day, Charity got in her car and headed for the cemetery. Once she parked her car she got out and headed for Katie's grave. She placed a bouquet of flowers on the head stone.

"We finally got him." Charity spoke to the grave. "Moore is finally paying for his crimes. He gets to live in Gitmo now."

Charity stood and looked at the grave. She let the silence surround her. "Life is pretty crazy, Katie. I've been discharged from the Core. I'm also gonna get married and I'm pregnant with twins." Charity told the grave.

Charity stood there a while longer, imagining what katie would be saying right now. "The man I'm marrying, his name is Tony. He works at NCIS with my dad. He's pretty great." Charity spoke. "He makes me laugh and feel like a normal human being again. He reminds me of you in that respect."

Charity felt the tears stinging at her eyes. She thought back to the day that Katie died.

_Flashback..._

_ Charity lay in the rubble of the compound. She lay with the bodies of three of her friends and fellow Marines. Katie lay to her right, still barely clinging to life. "What are... you... thinking... about, Katie?" Charity asked between coughs._

_ Katie let out her own cough. "Just about...how much...time...we're gonna have...to spend...in the hos...pital." Katie answered. "I hope...we get...hot doctors."_

_ Charity let out a small laugh. "How is it...that while...we are lying in...our death beds..."_

_ "Don't...we aren't...gonna die." Katie interrupted._

_ "Fine... how is it...that in a time...like this...that you can think...of men...and be making...me laugh?" Charity responded._

_ "That's how I...roll." Katie answered, lifting her uninjured arm to make a peace sign._

_ Charity laughed again and that brought on a coughing fit._

_ "And we...must...prank the...nurses." Katie said as soon as Charity's coughing fit was over._

_ "How?" Charity asked taking in a deep breath of dust and debris-filled air and coughing again._

_ "Unplug all the...machines...and make them...run in...thinking we're...gone." Katie answered. "Watch as they...panic."_

_ "You're...terrible." Charity replied._

_ "But...you love...me."_

_ The two women talked, trying to keep each other sane. They had no idea how long they had been laying there. They had no idea how long they had been captives, but it felt like an eternity._

_ "It's cold." Katie said._

_ "It is." Charity replied. Then she drug herself closer to Katie so that they could huddle close for warmth._

_ Katie breathed in and then coughs began to wrack her body, shaking her. After what seemed like forever, the coughs finally stopped and Katie was gasping for air. Charity had no idea what to do, she had no way to help her friend._

_ "It's getting...darker in here." Katie said once she was able to get a breath in without coughing._

_ "Katie..." Charity began._

_ "I don't think I'm...gonna make...it." Katie said, her face serious and pale._

_ "Don't talk... like that, Katie." Charity spoke, her voice scared._

_ "Hey...we all...gotta go...sometime..." Katie said. "Get...in my...pocket."_

_ "What?" Charity asked._

_ "Put...your hand...in my...pocket." Katie told Charity._

_ Charity nodded and reached her hand into Katie's pocket. She felt a vibration and jumped slightly, pulling her hand out of Katie's pocket._

_ Katie smiled and laughed/coughed. "My joy buzzer...pull it out."_

_ Charity reached her hand back into Katie's pocket and pulled out the joy buzzer. "What...do you...want me...to do...with it?" Charity asked._

_ "Take it...and keep it." Katie told her._

_ "But...you're gonna need...it...when we get...outta here." Charity protested._

_ Katie shook her head slightly. "No...I'm not...gonna make it...outta here...we both know that."_

_ Charity nodded, her lips pressed close together. _

_ "Now...take it...and keep it as...a reminder...to always...find a...reason to...laugh...and smile." Katie told her. "Promise me...you will...always find...a reason to...laugh and...smile."_

_ Charity nodded, holding her tears back._

_ "Promise...me." Katie said._

_ "I...promise." Charity replied._

_ "Now...I need...you to...remember...this one...last piece...of wisdom." Katie told Charity._

_ "What is it?" Charity asked._

_ "An apple...a day...keeps the...doctor away...but if...the doctor...is sexy...throw...the apples...back." Katie said with a laugh._

_ Charity laughed with Katie. All too soon, Katie's laughs stopped and she was gone._

_ "Katie." Charity said, shaking her friend. Katie was no longer breathing. Charity felt for a pulse and found none. Katie still had a smile frozen on her dead face. Charity reached up and closed Katie's unseeing eyes. Then she held Katie's body and let the tears and sobs consume her._

_Present..._

Charity stood at the grave and reached a hand into her pocket. She pulled out the joy buzzer and looked at it. She smiled through the tears that had been falling down her face. Then she looked at the grave. "Thanks Katie. I've found my reason to laugh and smile." She slipped the joy buzzer back into her pocket and wiped at the tears in her eyes.

"Rowdy Girls Semper Fi." Charity said and then made her way back to her car.

Once behind the wheel, Charity looked at herself in the mirror. She dried her eyes and then started the car and drove away. She parked the car at NCIS and looked at her reflection one last time. _All traces of my tears are gone._ She thought.

Charity got out of her car and hopped on the elevator to go to the squadroom. The doors opened and Charity stepped out. She looked up and spotted Tony at his desk. He looked up from whatever he was doing and smiled at her. "Hello gorgeous."

Charity grinned back at him as she made her way to him. "Hello handsome."

Tony stood up and pulled Charity into his arms for a hug and kiss.

"What the hell is this?" came the familiar gruff voice.

Charity pulled away from Tony and turned around, an even bigger smile on her face. "Mike!" She squealed and ran to hug him.

Mike hugged Charity back and laughed. "When'd you get home darlin'?" He asked, pulling back and holding her at arms length.

"A while ago." Charity answered.

Mike turned to see Gibbs. "Probie, why didn't you tell me baby doll was home?"

Gibbs just shrugged.

Mike turned back to Charity. "Now, you didn't answer my question earlier. What the hell is going on with you and DiNozzo?"

"We're engaged." Tony answered.

"And I'm pregnant." Charity added. "With twins."

Mike sighed and shook his head. "I don't believe this. Probie, how could you let this happen?"

"She could do a lot worse." Gibbs answered.

Mike put an arm around Charity's shoulder and pulled her aside. "Baby doll, if you want out just say the word and I can help you. I know I ain't much, but I might just be better than DiNozzo." Mike told her jokingly.

Charity laughed. "I'll keep your offer in mind." She replied and kissed his cheek. "So, what are you doing here?" She asked.

"Oh, Probie just needed my help solvin' a case. You know your daddy can't go too long without me." Mike replied turning them around to rejoin the group.

"Then I guess I should go and let you guys get back to work." Charity said. She gave Mike a hug. "You need to visit more often."

Mike chuckled.

Charity hugged her father. "Love you, Daddy."

"Love you, baby girl." Gibbs said, returning the hug and kissing the top of her head.

Charity then walked over to Tony and gave him a kiss. "There's something I want to talk to you about when you get home tonight." Charity told him.

"Okay." Tony replied. "Am I in trouble?"

Charity grinned up at him. "Depends on your definition of trouble." She teased. Then she gave him a kiss and was leaving NCIS and heading home.

**A/N: I hope you guys are enjoying this story. I have to tell you guys something that I find kind of funny considering that I am writing this story. Today while I was at work, a recruiting officer for the Marines came up to me and tried to recruit me. I also find this funny because I would be the worst Marine ever. I'm a wimp and would probably fall over dead on the first day of boot camp. I do however have a great deal of respect for our troops and especially our Marines. I would like to send out a big thanks to everyone who serves the military and I'm greatful that there are so many who will risk their lives to protect my freedoms and way of life.**


	55. Chapter 55

The team was working on a hot case and it appeared they wouldn't be leaving any time soon. Tony pulled out his cell and sent Charity a text.

**I'm gonna be late tonight.**

_Hot case?_

**Yup. Idk when I'll be home, so if you wanna go to bed, we can talk tomorrow.**

_I can wait up._

**You sure?**

_Yup. Are you really that afraid?_

**Maybe. Am I in trouble?**

_No more than you were the day you met me ;)_

**Oh, is that the way we are gonna be playing this?**

_Oh you love it and you know it._

**Your point?**

_That I'm awesome._

**That you are. That you are.**

"DiNozzo." Gibbs barked, pulling Tony from his phone.

"Yeah, boss?" Tony asked.

"Go home. Get some rest." Gibbs replied.

"You sure boss?" Tony asked, thinking this might be some kind of test.

"You're not gonna be any good if you're tired." Gibbs answered. "So go home, now."

"Right." Tony said, getting up and heading out. He pulled out his cell phone while he was on the elevator and sent Charity a text.

**Looks like I'll be coming home sooner than I thought.**

_Catch a break in the case?_

**Nope, your dad just ordered me to go home.**

_Ok, see you in a little bit. Love you._

**Love you, too.**

Tony got in the car and drove home. He soon arrived home and headed to the apartment, since they still hadn't signed the papers on the house yet. Tony opened the door and walked in to find Charity in the kitchen making something that smelled really good.

Tony walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her close and kissed her neck. "Hello gorgeous."

Charity giggled. "Hello handsome." She replied turning around to face Tony.

Tony lifted a hand and placed a finger under her chin. He pulled her lips to his and kissed her softly. "What are you making there?" He asked.

"My world famous chili." Charity answered with a grin.

"It smells great."

She grinned up at him. "I know." She then turned back around and stirred the chili once more before turning the burner off. "It's ready."

Tony grabbed a couple of bowls from the cabinet and Charity laddeled some of the chili into each bowl. Then they headed to sit down on the couch to eat their chili. "So, what is it you want to talk about?" Tony asked after he finished his chili and sat the bowl on the table.

Charity finished her own bowl and placed it on the table. She looked at Tony. "Just wondering what your thoughts were about the wedding?"

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Oh little things like, when do you want to get married and that kind of thing." Charity replied.

Tony grinned at Charity. "Whenever you want."

"What about where?"

"Wherever you want." Tony answered.

"You're real helpful, you know that." Charity told him sarcastically.

Tony grinned mischievously. "I think you already know when and where you want to get married." He told her.

"Maybe, maybe not." Charity told him.

Tony reached his arms out and pulled Charity close. He kissed the top of her head. "I want to do whatever you want. If you want a big wedding..."

Charity pulled back and looked up at Tony. "Oh hell no. No big wedding."

"I think you may be the first woman who had the choice to ever say no to a big wedding." Tony teased.

Charity grinned. "Well, that's because most women enjoy being the center of attention. I do not."

"Well, then a court house ceremony with a justice of the peace?" Tony suggested.

"I may not want a big wedding, but not that either. I still want to wear the dress and have my father walk me down the asile." Charity told him.

Tony chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Then what do you want?" He asked.

"I was thinking that after we sign the papers on the house and get it set up, we could have a small wedding in the back yard, with just our closest family and friends."

"Is that what you really want?" Tony asked.

Charity nodded. "Yes."

"Then that's what we'll do." Tony replied and pulled Charity back into his arms and kissed her softly.

"See, I told you, you weren't in trouble." Charity teased.

Tony grinned. "Oh, that's what you think." He replied pushing her back to lay on the couch and then climbing on top of her.


	56. Chapter 56

A few days later, Charity was stepping off the elevator at NCIS and heading to Abby's lab. Unfortunately, Abby wasn't in her lab. Charity headed up to the squadroom to see if anybody knew where Abby might be.

When she got off the elevator, she spotted Abby talking with Ziva, no one else around. "There you are." Charity said.

Abby turned around and grinned. She ran up and hugged Charity and then started rubbing her belly. "How are Chony and Dibbs today?"

"They are fine." Charity answered. "Now, their mother has a question and some news for you."

Abby stopped rubbing Charity's belly and looked up at her. "Yes?"

"First, are you busy?" Charity asked.

"Not at the moment. Why?" Abby asked.

"Because I need you for a couple of hours." Charity answered.

"Why?" Abby asked.

Before Charity could answer, Tony and Gibbs entered the room. "I always get worried when I walk in on a group of women talking." Tony said.

"Nothing good ever comes of it." Gibbs added.

Charity and Abby grinned. "Well, then you're going to be really worried because I am taking Abby away for a couple of hours." Then she suddenly got an idea. "And if you don't mind I'm taking Ziva, too."

"What do you need them for?" Gibbs asked.

"Well, I'm about to go shopping for my wedding dress and I need my maid of honor, Abby to come, and I can never have too many opinions." Charity answered.

Abby turned to Charity, an excited smile on her face. "You want me to be your maid of honor?"

Charity grinned. "Abby, did you ever really doubt it?"

"Maybe a little." Abby answered innocently.

"So, you two finally set a date?" Ziva asked, looking between Tony and Charity.

Tony and Charity exchanged a look. "Sort of." They answered in unison.

"How do you sort of set a wedding date?" Abby asked.

"I'll explain on the way to the dress shop." Charity answered. "We need to get going. The appointment is in fifteen minutes."

"Then we'd better get going." Abby said. Then she turned and grabbed Ziva's hand and started to pull her towards the elevator.

Charity gave Tony a quick kiss and then she and the other girls were gone.

Gibbs looked at Tony. "So, how _do_ you _set_ a wedding date, DiNozzo?" He asked.

_The girls..._

Charity drove to the dress shop, Abby and Ziva riding with her. "So, explain to me this sorta thing." Abby said.

"Tony and I talked and after we sign the papers and the house is ours and we get settled, we are gonna have the wedding in the backyard." Charity explained.

"Awe, that is so romantic!" Abby gushed.

"What exactly is so romantic about that?" Ziva inquired curiously.

"It's the place where we will be starting our life together. Where we will be raising our children." Charity answered.

"Ah, I see." Ziva replied.

The women soon arrived at the dress shop. They got out of the car and headed inside. They were greeted by an overly cheerful blond whose name tag read Tiffany. "Hello! How may I help you laides?"

"My name is Charity Gibbs. I have an appointment." Charity answered.

The woman looked at the appointment book in her hand. "Yes, right this way Miss Gibbs." Tiffany said and led the girls to the back of the store. "Janet will be with you shortly. If there is anything you need, just let me know." she said leaving the girls in a room that had a mirror and a couch in it.

The three women sat down on the couch and waited. "Well, this is a very nice place." Ziva mused.

"Too much white." Charity and Abby both said.

"Aren't you going to be getting a white dress?" Ziva asked.

"Yes, but that's different." Charity answered. "There's a time and place for white. Wedding dress yes, but for decore, no."

"I see." Ziva replied.

Just then a woman with shoulder-length blond hair, and looking slightly older than Tiffany entered the room. She looked at the group with a very bright smile. "Hello, ladies. How are we doing today?" She asked brightly.

_Another overly perky blond._ Charity thought. She smiled sweetly. "Fine." She, Abby, and Ziva all replied.

"So, who is our blushing bride?" She asked.

"I am." Charity answered. "Charity."

"Hello Charity. I'm Janet." She said, reaching out to shake Charity's hand. "Who do you have with you today?"

"This is Abby, my maid of honor, and my friend Ziva." Charity answered gesturing to her friends.

"Alright, now what kind of wedding will you be having?" Janet asked.

"A small wedding in our backyard." Charity answered.

Janet nodded. "Alright, and what kind of dress have you pictured for your dream day?"

"I'm not really sure." Charity answered. "Something simple. Maybe an A-line. I can't decide if I want a full length dress or tea leangth."

"Do you like lace or glitter or sparkles?" Janet asked.

"I like lace, but I'm not very big on glitter or sparkles."

Janet nodded. "Alright, and is there anything else?"

"Well, I'm going to need the dress to be a little big." Charity replied. "I'll be about three months pregnant with my twins when the wedding day gets here."

"Alright, we can take care of you." Janet said. "Come with me."

Charity stood and followed Janet to look through some dresses. They picked out a few dresses that interested Charity and then headed to the dressing rooms. She helped Charity into the first dress. "So, what's your fiance's name?" Janet asked.

"Tony." Charity answered holding the dress up as Janet zipped it up.

"How'd you two meet?"

"When I came back from Iraq, I went to surprise my dad at work and Tony works there, too." Charity answered.

"When you came back from Iraq?" Janet inquired.

"I joined the Marines when I finished high school." Charity answered.

Janet nodded unsure of what to say to that. "Well, let's go show your friends this first dress." Janet said and led Charity out of the dressing room.

Charity stood in front of the mirror and modeled the dress.

"Nope." Abby stated. "This dress is all wrong for you."

"I have to agree." Ziva added.

"And I believe you two are right." Charity agreed.

Charity and Janet headed back to the dressing room. Charity slipped into several more dresses. After she had tried on twenty dresses, Charity still hadn't found a dress. Abby looked up at Janet. "Can I come back with you? Let me help you find a dress for Charity to try on."

Janet nodded, starting to lose hope and led Abby back to help find a dress. Abby looked through the racks and found a dress. "This is perfect. Charity will love it." Abby said.

Janet took the dress back and Abby went to set back down on the couch. After ten minutes, Charity came out of the dressing room, her face glowing.

Abby jumped up. "Gorgeous." Abby said, smiling brightly.

"You look beautiful, Charity." Ziva agreed.

Charity turned to look in the mirror. The dress was a simple A-line that flowed down to just a little ways passed her knees. The dress was made of cotton with a faint flower print. There was a simple silky-feeling band under the bust, making an empire waist and straps made of the same material.

"This is my dress." Charity stated smiling brightly. "Abby, you rock."

Abby grinned. "I know."


	57. Chapter 57

Charity, Abby, and Ziva soon arrived back at NCIS. "You three were gone quite a while." Tony observed.

"Charity is difficult." Abby replied, teasingly.

Charity glared playfully at Abby. "Hey, it's not easy to find a dress that will still look good on me in my third month. So, really we should blame Tony."

"Why me?" Tony asked.

"Because, you knocked me up." Charity told him.

"Hey, last time I checked, you didn't have any objections during the conception." Tony teased.

Gibbs came up from behind Tony and slapped him on the back of the head. "DiNozzo, that's my daughter. I don't wanna hear this." He said.

"Right boss." Tony replied.

"Daddy, how else do you think I got pregnant?" Charity retorted.

"Still don't wanna hear about it." Gibbs replied.

"Then cover your ears." Charity suggested playfully.

Gibbs looked at his daughter. "Look here young lady," Gibbs began.

Charity laughed and walked over to her gave him a hug. "Love you, too, Dad."

Gibbs wrapped his arms around Charity and hugged ber back and kissed the top of her head. "You are one ornery little redhead." He told her with a chuckle.

Charity pulled back and looked at her father. "I've been told I'm just like my dad." she replied with a smirk.

Gibbs smirked back.

Charity gave her father one more hug and then walked over to Tony. Tony stood up and opened his arms for Charity. "I finally get some love over here." Tony said playfully.

Charity looked up at him and the look she gave him was one her father had many times.

"Okay, now that's just creepy. You look too much like your dad." He told her.

"Ya think." She replied, unable to help herself.

"That's just wrong." Tony replied.

Charity's face broke out into a full on grin and Gibbs was smirking behind her. "You know you love me."

"Your point?" Tony teased.

"That you love it when I torment you." Charity responded, teasingly.

Tony grinned at her. "Why don't we continue this at home?" He suggested.

Charity grinned back. "Am I in trouble?" She teased.

Tony couldn't help but smile at her using his words from just a few days ago. "Maybe."

"Just how much?" Charity asked.

"Enough." Tony answered. "So, let's go home."

"Only if you promise to spank me." Charity answered.

"Charity Faith, I said I didn't want to hear this." Gibbs spoke up.

Charity smirked. "And I told you to cover your ears." Then she turned to Tony. "Okay, let's go home."

"Night boss." Tony said starting for the elevator.

"Night Daddy." Charity said, following Tony out.


	58. Chapter 58

Three days passed and Charity sat in the lab talking wedding plans, bridal shower, and bachelorette party with Abby and Ziva. "Okay, so I had this crazy idea about your bridal shower." Abby said.

"Okay, what is this crazy idea?" Charity asked.

"Crazy ideas?" came a familiar voice from behind them.

Charity turned around. "Did you not see the sign on the door?" She asked, Tony.

"This sign?" He asked, holding up a piece of paper that read _No Men beyond this point. Wedding planning in progress._

"Yes that one." Charity answered with a grin. Then she turned to Abby. "I still think we should have made the sign say no penises beyond this point. Then he might have listened."

"Hey, it's my wedding, too." Tony replied, trying to contain his laughter at Charity's comment.

"He's got us there." Abby said.

"True." Charity agreed. She then took the sign from Tony and marked out _wedding planning_ and replaced it with _Bridal shower planning_ and handed it to Tony. "Now put that on the door and get outta here."

"Nope, I wanna hear what this crazy idea is." Tony said.

Charity gave him a classic Gibbs' stare. "Go plan your bachelor party or something. This is a woman only zone until further notice." She stretched up and gave him a kiss and then pushed him out the door and then shut it and locked it.

Tony looked at the sign in his hand and then looked at the closed door. He grinned devilishly and then headed up to the squadroom. "Hey McGee, I need a favor." Tony said.

"No, Tony. I'm not doing you any favors." McGee answered.

"Charity, Abby, and Ziva have the door to the lab closed and locked and are planning Charity's bridal shower. I just need you to hack into the cameras and watch what's going on." Tony told McGee.

"No, Tony." McGee answered, although he was a little more interested than he had been before.

"Abby said she had a crazy idea for Charity's bridal shower. Don't you wanna know what it is?" Tony asked.

McGee sat there for a moment. "Alright, fine." McGee complied. Then he started to work his magic. Soon they were watching the live action in the lab.

Abby, Charity, and Ziva all three sat around and looked at each other talking and laughing. "Charity, you are quite entertaining." Ziva observed. "All I'm missing is the popcorn."

Charity grinned devilishly. "I know. It's more fun this way."

Abby grinned. "And this is why we love you."

"Awe, I feel special." Charity said. "All warm and fuzzy inside. So, let's stop this 'cause I hate that feeling." Charity said the last part feining disdain.

"Okay, now you wanna hear my crazy idea?" Abby asked.

"Yes, what is your crazy idea for my bridal shower?" Charity asked.

"I have this friend that goes around and hosts these parties..." Abby began.

"Are you talking about...?" Charity asked, trailing off with a grin on her face.

"Yes, a fun party bridal shower." Abby answered.

"I love love love the way you think Abby." Charity replied with a grin.

"A fun party?" Ziva asked. "What's a fun party?"

Abby and Charity both looked over at Ziva. "Seriously?" They asked.

"What is it?" Ziva asked.

"Well, sometimes they're called romance parties." Abby said.

"Have you ever been to a jewelry party or Mary Kay party?" Charity asked.

"No, but I have heard od them." Ziva answered. "Women get together and one woman sells jewelry or make up."

Charity nodded. "A fun party is like that, but more...adult." Charity said.

"What do you mean more adult?" Ziva asked.

"Sexy..._fun _items." Charity supplied. "Some for just the woman or the man others are for couples to enjoy together."

Understanding lit Ziva's face and her eyes widened. "There are parties for those..._things_?" Ziva asked.

"Yup and since you've never been to one, we definately have to make that my bridal shower since you've never been to one." Charity said.

Tony grinned as he watched the screen. "Oh-ho, this is definitely...just wow." Tony said. "Good work probie." He told McGee and patted him on the back.

"You do realize that if we find out when and where they are going to have this party, we could set up some cameras and watch the party." McGee said.

"Now, you're thinkin' probie." Tony said. "Now you're thinking."


	59. Chapter 59

The girls had planned the bridal shower for a week later. They were able to talk Gibbs into leaving his house for the day and letting them use it for the party. Of course, he had no idea just what kind of party it was.

"You girls have fun." Gibbs said as he was leaving.

"We will." Charity said. "Love you Daddy."

"Love you, too baby girl." Gibbs replied hugging his daughter.

"Don't forget your adopted daughter." Abby said, coming up and hugging Gibbs, too.

Gibbs grinned and hugged Abby back. Then he headed out the door.

The girls watched as Gibbs made his way to his car. Once he had driven off, Abby turned around to face Charity and Ziva. "Alright, time to transform this place." Abby said.

The girls then began to decorate the living room. Abby put candles on the tables and some rose petals. She also put out some glass dishes with some penis-shaped confetti. She had Ziva help her set up some of the games.

Before much longer, the place was completely transformed and ready for the party. Ziva left to pick up the food. She came back and Abby and Charity helped her carry the food in.

Charity carried in the cake box. She looked at the name of the cake shop on the box. "You didn't did you?" Charity asked, looking at Abby.

"This is a fun party bridal shower." Abby explained. "Of course I did."

_Tony and McGee..._

"The party is going to be starting soon." McGee informed Tony.

They had set up at McGee's place considering all the technology he had. Tony was in the kitchen making a sandwhich. "I'm coming." Tony said, walking in the room and taking a seat next to McGee.

McGee looked over at Tony. "You ready to start watching this?"

"Yes. I'm curious to see how this all unfolds." Tony answered, a huge grin on his face.

McGee turned on the computer monitor and then clicked the link to the cameras he and Tony had planted in Gibbs's house, which had been the most difficult part. They saw the girl's standing by a table they had set up and putting food on the table.

"You didn't did you?" They saw Charity asking Abby.

Abby grinned. "This is a bridal shower fun party. Of course I did." Abby replied.

Charity lifted the lid of a cake box to reveal a large cake made into the shape of a penis. "I suddenly miss Tony." Charity said, looking at the cake.

A cocky grin lit Tony's face as he watched the live video feed.

"That's TMI." Abby replied.

Charity looked up at Abby and grinned. "Sorry, couldn't help myself."

"Charity has a very dirty mind." McGee observed.

"I know. Isn't it great?" Tony asked.

"I feel sorry for your children." McGee replied, turning his attention back to the computer screen.

The two men watched the screen as the three women finished putting the food out on display. Then there was a knock at the door. Abby went to answer it. She hugged the girl that entered and then she helped her carry her stuff in.

"She must be the hostess." McGee observed.

"No, she's the sales lady. Charity is considered the hostess." Tony corrected.

"How do you know?" McGee asked.

"I have my ways McGoober." Tony answered. "Now let's watch."

Abby and the woman walked in the room. "Okay, Lisa this is Ziva and this is our beautiful bride." Abby said. "Charity, Ziva, this is Lisa Moorehead."

Tony spit out his sandwhich as he heard the name. "Seriously? She hosts fun parties and her last name is Moorehead?"

"That is pretty good." McGee agreed. Then they both watched more.

Charity had a hard time holding back her laughter, but she managed. "It's nice to meet you." She said.

"Nice to meet you, too." Lisa replied. "So, where should I set up?"

Charity gestured to a table that all of the furniture was pointed towards. Lisa then began to set everything up. After a few more minutes the more guests began to arrive. The party then turned into a hugging fest, as quite a few of the women hadn't seen Charity in a while.

"Has everyone arrived?" Lisa asked.

"Yes." Charity answered at the same time Abby replied, "No."

Charity gave Abby a curious look and then the doorbell rang. Abby went to answer it, tell Charity to stay put. Abby then returned, "Okay, Charity this is a most special surprise for you." She then stepped aside and Claire stepped out from behind Abby, still wearing her fatigues.

Charity jumped up and ran to embrace Claire. "I'm so glad to see you! Did you just get back?"

"Yup." Claire answered. "I figured since it's been a while, a fun party would be the best place for me to be."

Charity grinned and hugged Claire again.

Claire then looked down at Charity's slightly swollen belly. "I see that night I helped you get turned out well."

Charity laughed. "Alright, let's get this party started." She then led Claire to the couch and they sat down.

"What did she mean by the night she helped Charity get turned out well?" McGee asked.

"Claire kept my father distracted for a night." Tony replied.

"So, you could have a roll in the hay with Charity? Seriously?"

"Hey, it was her idea to get Claire to distract my father." Tony said. Then he gave Tim a head slap. "Now, just watch."

The ladies in Gibbs's house all sat down and waited for Lisa to begin. "Alright, hello ladies." She began. "My name is Lisa Moorehead and go ahead I've heard all the jokes. I actually like them. Now, as you all know this is a party for our blushing bride, Charity. So Charity, I need you to come up here and have a seat." Lsa said, gesturing to the chair she had placed by her table.

Charity got up and moved to the chair. "So, what's going on?" Charity asked.

"As our guest of honor tonight, you get a few special items." Lisa said. She then reached into her bag and pulled out a purple feather boa and draped it around Charity's shoulders. Then she pulled out a crown with little penises on it. "We are crowing you the penis princess."

Charity and the other girls in the room instantly broke out into giggles. Lisa placed the crown on top of Charity's head. "And one more gift I have for you, is this." Lisa said, pulling out a large whistle. "Now, whenever I demonstrate a product you like, you blow that whistle as loud and hard as you can, so that everyone can know."

Charity giggled as she took the whistle. "Okay."

"Alright, now before I start showing the products, we are all going to play a little game." Lisa said. She then passed out paper and pens to everyone but Charity. "Now let's say that Charity and Tony are on their honeymoon staying at this hotel and this is their first night as husband and wife. Now there's this older couple in the room next to them. I want everyone to wrote down a sentence, a word, phrase, however long or short you want, that this older couple might hear coming from the newly wed couple's room."

"Oh this ought to be good." Tony said, enjoying the show thus far.

Lisa walked around the room and observed everyone. After about five minutes she spoke up, "Is everyone ready?" She asked.

They all nodded. Then Lisa pulled out a hat and told everyone to fold up their sayings and put them in the hat. Once all of the pieces of paper were in the hat, Lisa shook the hat and then turned to Charity. "Okay, now you get to pull a phrase out at a time and read it out loud to everyone and then you have to guess who wrote it." Lisa instructed.

"I was right, this is gonna be really good." Tony commented.

"I think you're right." McGee agreed. "Although, I'd really rather not picture your sex life at all."

"Why? Cause you wish you had it?" Tony taunted. Then he and McGee turned their attention back to the screen.

Charity reached her hand into the hat and pulled out the first piece of paper. she unfolded it and read it silently to herself before reading it out loud. "Oh over that way...no the other way! No the other other way!" Charity read giggling as she did so.

"Alright, now who do you think wrote that?" Lisa asked.

Charity looked around the group of women. "I'm going to say Gina." She said, pointing to one of her friends sitting on the couch.

"Guilty." Gina replied.

"Alright, now pick out another." Lisa instructed.

Charity reached into the hat and pulled out another paper and opened it up. She was having a hard time reading out loud as she was laughing. "Oh you are... much better than... the dolls I'm... used to."

McGee burst out laughing once Charity finished reading the statement.

Tony glared at the screen.

"Okay, who do you think wrote that one?" Lisa asked Charity.

Charity grinned. "Well, considering all the teasing that goes on at NCIS, I'd have to say Ziva."

"And you would be correct." Ziva replied, grinning like a cheshire cat.

"Okay, next one." Lisa said.

Charity pulled out another phrase and read it out loud. "Wait...Tony stop...that's the wrong spot!" Charity got out between laughs. "I'm gonna guess Claire."

"And you would be wrong." Claire replied.

"It was me!" Abby said, raising her hand and grinning excitedly.

"Okay, let's do one more." Lisa said, holding the hat out to Charity.

Charity grabbed yet another piece of paper and read it aloud. "Oh yes...that's the way...I like it! Keep going! More...more...more!"

"That's more like it." Tony said, smiling.

"Okay, that one has to be Claire." Charity stated.

"And this time you are right." Claire said, smiling.

"Alright, let's start the products." Lisa said. "We will start at the less exciting end of my table and work our way to the more exciting end."

She then began to talk about the various products on her table. After she finished demoing the less exciting items on her table, she announced that they would take a break. Then the women in the room headed over to the food table.

They all filled up their plates and talked and ate. Once everyone had had their fill, they sat back down and then Lisa began telling about her products again. When she was talking about one product, Charity blew her whistle.

"I think we have a winner." Lisa noted.

Charity grinned and then watched as Lisa continued. Charity blew the whistle a few more times.

"Man, I think you've finally met a woman who has a sex drive to match yours, Tony." McGee observed.

Tony grinned like a mad man. "Yes, and it is great."

After a while Lisa announced that she was finished with her presentation. "But we have one final game to play." She assured the ladies.

"What's this game?" Charity asked.

"It's kind of like hot potato." Lisa answered. She pulled out an ipod and a portable speaker for it. She then pulled a couple of more items from her bag and held them up. One was a large double-ended _toy_. The other was a ball. "You take this ball and put it under your chin and hold it with your chin to your chest. Then you take Adam here, and put him between your knees. While the music is going, you pass the ball from chin to chin one dorection and Adam from knees to knees in the other." Lisa explained the game. "When the music stops whoever has the items is out. If your drop them you're out."

Once everyone understood the game, Lisa started the music and started the group off passing the items. The women were laughing as they passed the items around. Tony and McGee were laughing as they watched the women try to pass the ball and _toy_ around.

Before long the game was down to Abby, Ziva, and Charity. When the music ended, Abby was out, having both items. Charity and Ziva were passing the items back and forth, laughing like crazy as they did.

Tony and McGee were enjoying the show. "I think I'm starting to realize why there are more women out there who don't want men." McGee observed.

Tony nodded. "It's definately an enlightening experience McProbie."

The music stopped and the two women were in the middle of passing the items. So they both lost. They were both laughing about it. "Alright, we have a tie." Lisa said. "So, before we start ordering, I have one more gift for our penis princess."

"Oh, I'm on top tonight." Charity said with a grin.

"If that's what you want." Tony couldn't stop himself from saying as he watched the screen.

"I really didn't need to know that." McGee commented.

"Alright," Lisa said, "Charity my company is paying for you and Tony to go to anyone of twenty destinations for five days and four nights. All expenses paid." Lisa then handed Charity the papers with all the information she would need.

"Sweet!" Charity squealed as she flipped through the booklet, Lisa had given her.

"Alright, now where can I set up for ordering?" Lisa asked.

"In my old room." Charity answered, leading Lisa up the stairs.

"We aren't going to be able to see what they order." Tony said, disappointed.

"I wonder if Abby will order anything." McGee pondered.

Tony looked over at McGee. "You still got a thing for her?" He asked.

"No." McGee replied defensively. "I'm just curious."

"Sure.' Tony replied. "Just keep tellin yourself that probie." Tony replied.

Soon everyone had ordered some items, some for themselves and others as presents for Charity. Then they all left. Lisa packed up her stuff and left, leaving Abby, Charity, and Ziva to clean up.

Charity packed up the food and divided it between herself and the other two women. "Wait, why do you get more than us?" Ziva asked.

"First off, I'm eating for three." Charity answered. "And secondly, I do live with Tony."

"True, he does love food." Ziva commented.

The women finished cleaning up and then went their separate ways.


	60. Chapter 60

Charity arrived home to find Tony wasn't there. She carried the food into the kitchen and sat it down. About ten minutes later, Tony was walking in the front foor. "Hello gorgeous." He greeted her with a smile.

"Hello handsome." She replied. "Would you like some left over penis cake?" She asked.

"What?" Tony asked, a grin on his face.

"You heard me." She replied.

"What flavor?" He asked.

"Chocolate." Charity answered. "Is there any other flavor of cake?"

Tony grinned. "Okay, I'll have a slice."

Charity cut a slice and put it on a plate for Tony. "So, what'd you do without me for the night?" She asked.

"I hung out with McGee." Tony answered.

"Did you have fun?" She asked.

"Surprisingly yes." Tony answered. "the important question is, did you have fun at your bridal shower?"

"Yes." Charity answered. "It was a fun party."

"You mean...?" Tony asked, trailing off and playing dumb.

"Yes." Charity answered.

"Ooh, does this mean we're gonna have an extra fun honeymoon?" He asked, with a grin.

"Actually, yes, but not the way you're thinking." She replied.

"What do you mean?" Tony asked, already knowing the answer from his recon with McGee.

"The company is paying for our honeymoon." Charity explained and then held out the booklet. "All expenses paid."

"That is pretty awesome." Tony replied, flipping through the booklet.

"We can figure out where we're going later." Charity told him taking the book from him. "Let's just worry about tonight, right now."

"You know, I really love the way you think." Tony said, following Charity into the bedroom.

_NCIS the next day..._

Ziva arrived at work bright and early as usual. She was surprised however to find Tony and McGee had arrived before her. They were standing by McGee's computer appearing to be watching some sort of video and laughing.

"What are you two doing?" She asked, walking towards them.

McGee instantly turned the video feed off and he and Tony both looked up at Ziva innocently. "Nothing." they answered in unison.

Just then Gibbs walked in, "Gear up, dead petty officer." He ordered.

The team grabbed their gear and headed out. They arrived at the crime scene and did what they do best. When they returned, Ziva brought the evidence down to Abby. Before she left back to the squadroom, Ziva turned to Abby. "Do you think you could do some computer hacking?" She asked.

"I know I could." Abby replied. "Why? What do you need?"

"Tony and McGee were watching some sort of video on McGee's computer and laughing. Then when I went to see what it was they closed it and said that it was nothing."

"So, you want me to find out what it is?" Abby asked.

Ziva nodded. "I think they're up to something."

"I think Tony is starting to rub off on you." Abby replied.

"So, you won't do it then?" Ziva asked.

"No, I'll do it, but I just thought I would tell you you're reminding me of Tony." Abby answered.

"Okay, I'll be back later." Ziva said.

Abby nodded. "Later."

Abby worked on processing the evidence and hacking McGee's computer. She also glanced up at the clock, knowing that Charity would be arriving any time for their lunch plans. Just when she was getting ready to call, Charity walked into the lab, with Ziva right behind her.

"So, have you had any luck with McGee's computer?" Ziva asked.

"I've almost got it cracked." Abby answered. She typed some more things in until she finally had hacked her way into McGee's files. She found a video file labeled, _bridal shower._ "What did you do, McGee?" Abby asked aloud.

"What did you find?" Ziva asked, walking up closer.

Charity's curiosity was piqued. "What do we have here?" She asked.

"We are about to find out." Abby stated and clicked on the file. She watched as the video of Charity's bridal shower popped up.

"He was watching us." Abby and Ziva said, both outraged.

"Not he, they." Charity said, suddenly realizing exactly what Tony had been up to with McGee last night.

"What do you mean?" Abby asked.

"When I got home last night, Tony wasn't there. He came home a little later and said he'd been hanging out with Tim." Charity answered.

"I should have known. McGee is usually well behaved. Tony is a bad influence." Ziva stated, speaking as if they were children.

"This is true." Abby said.

"They must pay." Charity stated.

"Agreed, let's go make them pay, now." Ziva said.

"No." Charity replied. "We have to get back at them at their own game."

"How is that?" Abby asked.

"Tony's bachelor party is next week. It will be at the apartment." Charity said. "And we have our own techno wiz."

"You know, we have to one up them, though." Abby stated.

"Most definitely." Ziva agreed. "But how?"

Charity suddenly got an idea. "Come closer ladies." She said, opening her arms for them to step closer and make a circle. "Here is what we do." She then explained her devious plan.

"You're an evil genious." Abby replied.

"This is just brilliant." Ziva agreed.

Charity grinned devilishly. "This is gonna be so much fun."


	61. Chapter 61

The next week soon arrived. Charity had spent the day setting up video cameras in the apartment. Abby and Ziva had worked on some other surprises they had in store for the guys. Once they had finished they met up at Ziva's place to watch how things unfold.

Abby had the video feed hooked up and they were able to watch it on Ziva's TV. The three women sat on the couch with a bowl of popcorn. They watched as one by one the guests arrived.

At one point when there was a knock on the door, Tony went to answer it. He was greeted by a group of his frat brothers. They greeted each other like they were still in college. "I can't believe I'm going to marry a frat boy." Charity muttered shaking her head with a smile.

"You didn't have that figured out until now?" Ziva asked. "I would have thought you would have known it when you two were discussing pranks."

"Okay, good point." Charity replied. "Of course this is going to be entertaining."

They watched as one of the guys clapped Tony on the shoulder. "Man, I can't believe a woman has finally tamed you." He said. "She must be one helluva woman."

"Oh, she is." Tony replied.

"Awe, this almost makes me feel kinda bad about what we're gonna do to them." Charity said.

"She loves playing pranks and she has an awesome sex drive." Tony added, telling his frat brother about Charity.

"Okay, don't feel so bad anymore." Charity replied.

"So, when do we start the fun?" Abby asked.

"When they least suspect it." Charity answered, a devilish grin on her face.

"Sounds like you got a good one." The man replied. "Of course, once you get married that sex drive disappears. There's something about women once they get that ring on their fingers."

"Okay, now we start." Charity said, not liking Tony's frat brother already.

Abby and Ziva grinned in anticipation. Abby picked up a controller and hit a button, the lights dimmed in the apartment. The men in the aoartment all looked very confused. Abby passed the controller to Ziva who then pushed another button, causing music and a light show to begin.

"What the hell is going on? Did you set this up probie?" Tony asked, looking at McGee.

"No." McGee replied, looking just as confused as Tony.

Charity grinned. She lifted her cell and hit send on the text she had ready. "Alright, let's they are on their way in." She said with a grin.

There was a pounding knocking on the door to the apartment. "Go answer it McProbie." Tony told McGee.

Poor Tim nodded and headed to answer the door. He opened it to see a group of women that appeared to be in their sixties, wearing some skimpy clothes on the other side. "Is this the bachelor part for a Tony DiNozzo?" One of the women asked, in a voice that said she was a chain smoker.

"Yeah." McGee answered, a look of confusion on his face.

The women then pushed their way past McGee and into the apartment. McGee shut the door behind them. "Alright, who is the lucky groom and whose Timothy McGee?" They asked.

Tim hesitantly stepped forward and Tony's frat brothers pushed him forward. The older ladies pushed the boys into a couple of chairs. "Alright, ladies, let's get this started." The older women then began to dance and do a little strip tease, paying special attention to Tony and McGee.

"This is the scariest thing that has ever happened to me." Tony said, closing his eyes

"I agree." McGee said.

"When do we end the torture?" Abby asked.

"In just a couple more minutes." Charity answered.

They then continued to watch and laugh as the boys were being tortured by the old strippers. Charity watched as one of the women danced her way over to torture the man Tony had been speaking with earlier.

"Oh, I think she deserves a little extra pay." Charity said.

Abby grinned. "Feeling a little insecure?"

"Nope, I'm pregnant and hormonal." Charity replied.

They watched a little while longer and decided that it was time to end the torture. Charity pulled out her cell phone and called one of the women. She picked up her phone. "Hello."

"It's Red Devil." Charity replied.

"Time to end this?"

"Yes." Charity answered.

"Alright, nice working with you Red Devil." The woman replied then she hung up the phone. "Alright, ladies, let's go. Our work here is done."

The older women then put their clothes back on and left. "Worst strippers ever." One of Tony's frat broters said as soon as they were gone.

"I just wanna know who did that." Tony said. "I mean I think I'm scarred for life."

"Yeah, there are things that once you see them you can't unsee." McGee agreed.

The three women sat on the couch in Ziva's apartment, practically rolling with laughter. "Charity, you are an evil mastermind!" Abby said.

"This was just brilliant!" Ziva agreed. "I'm very glad that you arrived into our lives."

"Why thank you." Charity replied. "I do believe that this is some of my finest work."

Abby and Charity stayed the night at Ziva's place.

_The next day at NCIS..._

Tony and McGee were on the elevator. "No one can ever know about what happened last night." Tony said.

"Agreed." McGee replied. "I want to just forget it ever happened."

They stepped off the elevator to find that Ziva wasn't already there. "She always beats us." Tony observed.

"You. She always beats you, Tony." McGee corrected.

"Whatever probie." Tony replied. He and McGee made their way to their desks and sat down. They turned their computers on and were instantly met with pictures from the party the night before.

"What the..." Both men began in unison.

Then they heard evil laughter coming from behind them. They turned to see Charity, Abby, and Ziva standing there. "Looks like you boys had some fun last night." Ziva said.

Tony's gaze narrowed, "You three did this?" He asked.

"You mean the pictures or the sixty year-old strippers?" Abby asked.

"Both." Tony replied.

"Yes we did." Charity told him with a devilish grin.

Tony looked at Charity surprised. "You were in on this?" He asked.

"Who do you think was the evil mastermind behind it?" She replied. "Besides who else could have been Red Devil?"

"Why?" Tony asked. "I thought we were on the same team."

"We are, but you and McGee spied on my bridal shower." Charity replied.

Tony turned to McGee. "You squealed."

"No, I never said a word." McGee protested.

"Nope, but your computer did." Abby replied.

"Yes, Abby here may not have gone to MIT, but she's pretty good with computer hacking." Charity said.

"You women are sneaky." Tony said.

"That should teach you not to mess with us." Ziva replied.

"You know this means war?" Tony spoke, looking at Charity.

Charity smirked and walked around to the front of Tony's desk. Then she walked behind it and then leaned forward, putting her face only inches from his. "Honey, you don't wanna get in a war with me and you know it. I can do much much worse."

"You know, you're making it really hard to be upset with you." He told her.

Charity's grin widened. "Then my plan is working."

"Cut that out you two." Gibbs said, coming in the room. "Gear up. We have a case." Gibbs ordered.

Charity pulled back. Tony got up and grabbed his stuff. Before he headed for the elevator he got really close to Charity. "We'll pick this back up at home." He told her. "Because you are in trouble."

"Are you gonna spank me?" Charity replied with a grin.

Tony gulped. "You are an evil woman." He told her before giving her a kiss and then leaving.

Abby came to stand by Charity. "How is it you and Tony get into this little tit for tat and then somehow get turned on?" She asked.

Charity grinned and shrugged. "It's how I roll."

"Alright, well I'm assuming that the wedding is still on, so let's plot...I mean plan." Abby said, putting her arm around Charity's shoulders and walking her to the elevator.


	62. Chapter 62

Tony and Charity were in the car on their way to sign the papers and make the house officially theirs. "I'm really excited." Charity said.

"After today we will be homeowners." Tony agreed.

They soon arrived at the real estate office. They sat down and spent the next hour signing the next thirty years of their lives away. The previous owners handed over the keys and Tony and Charity were on their way to their new home.

Tony pulled the car into the driveway and parked it. Then he and Charity got out of the car and headed up to the front door. Tony slid the key into the lock and opened the door. Charity was grinning like crazy. She and Tony walked in and shut the door behind them.

"This is our house." Charity said excitedly.

"You know, I'm starting to think Abby is rubbing off on you." Tony teased.

Charity turned around to face Tony. "I can't help but be excited. I mean this is the house that we are going to spend our life together in and raise the twins in." She told him placing a hand lovingly over her belly.

Tony grinned back at her and crossed the space between them. He placed a hand on her stomache. He leaned closer to her and gave her a kiss. "I love you." Then he bent and kissed her stomache. "And I love the two of you."

Charity grinned. "And we love you, too." she told him.

The next few days they spent packing up their stuff and then when Saturday arrived, they were moving into the house. Gibbs and Abby were helping them. Tony and Gibbs were of course doing all the heavy lifting, which was driving Charity nuts. She hated not being able to do what she normally would, but she also knew that she had to behave herself for the twins.

Charity and Abby were unpacking things and putting them up. Abby was pulling out one of Charity's books when a picture fell out. She reached down and picked it up and looked at it. She had grin on her face. She then headed to the living room where Tony and Gibbs were setting up the furniture and Charity was hanging up some pictures.

"Look what I found." Abby said, holding up the picture.

The three others turned to face Abby. Charity walked over and looked at the picture. "I thought I had lost this." She said. "Where did you find it?"

"Inside a book." Abby answered.

"What is it?" Tony asked, coming uo behind Charity.

"It's one of my favorite pictures." Charity answered.

Gibbs walked over. "What is it?" He asked.

Charity lifted the photo. "Remember that family vacation to Disney Land?"

Gibbs looked at the photo. It was of him holding Charity and Shannon holding Kelly standing with Micky Mouse. They were all wearing the mouse ears. Gibbs smiled fondly at the picture.

"You look good with mouse ears boss." Tony commented.

Gibbs turned to give Tony his signature Gibbs stare.

"Not one word, boss." Tony said.

"Good." Gibbs said, clapping Tony on the shoulder.

Charity watched them with a grin. "Don't let him fool you Tony, Dad's just a big ole teddy bear."

Gibbs turned his stare at his daughter.

"That didn't work when I was sixteen and it won't work now." Charity replied, staring back at her father with the same look.

Tony looked back and forth between the two. "I wonder if this is what it would be like if we went into a house of mirrors." Tony pondered.

"I think you may be right, Tony." Abby agreed.

Then Charity and Gibbs both turned their blue-eyed gazes on Tony and Abby. "This is really creepy."

Gibbs smirked and Charity's face broke out into a full on grin. "I love messing with you." She said, walking up to Tony and wrapping her arms around him. "And deep down, you love it when I play with your mind."

Tony laughed and shook his head, as he wrapped his arms around Charity and kissed her forehead. "You just might be right." He agreed.


	63. Chapter 63

A few days later, Charity sat next to Abby in her lab. With only a week and a half until the wedding, they were planning full steam. "So, tomorrow, we go shopping for your dress." Charity said.

"Yup and after we get finished dress shopping, we go to Hobby Lobby and get some flowers and make the boquets and center pieces for the tables."

"Alright, then the day after that we go and buy everything else we are going to need." Charity added.

"Yup." Abby chirped. "Shall we go tell your soon to be husband the good news?"

Charity grinned. "I really love the sound of that." she said excitedly.

_Tony..._

Tony sat at his desk, looking over a file. He was following the "good old fashioned paper trail" on the latest case. He was however finding it hard to concentrate. In a week and half he and Charity were going to be married and he hadn't been able to contact his father to tell him the news.

Tony decided to pull his cell phone out one more time and try calling his father. He dialed the number, but it said that the number was disconnected. Tony groaned internally. _Why is it I can never contact him when I want to, but he shows up outta nowhere when I don't want to see him?_ Tony thought to himself. He decided to turn his attention back to the file in front of him and look for something useful.

Tony heard the elevator doors open and close, but didn't look up. The person who stepped off the elevator walked over to Tony's desk and spoke, "Junior."

Tony looked up from the folder. "Dad?" Tony looked surprised.

"I went by your apartment building, but they said you moved out." Senior said.

"Yeah." Tony replied. "I bought a house. So, where have you been? I've been trying to call you."

"Busy." Senior answered. "Why?"

Before Tony could answer his father, Abby and Charity were stepping off of the elevator and walking towards them. Senior instantly dropped the conversation with his son and turned his attention to the ladies.

"Hello, Senior." Abby greeted brightly.

"Ah, Abby. It's a pleasure to see you, as always." Senior replied, taking Abby's hand and placing a kiss on it. He then turned his attention to Charity. "I see our wounded worrior is all healed up."

Charity smiled at her future father-in-law. "Yep." She answered. "Good to see you again."

Senior then took Charity's hand and kissed it. Then he looked her over. "I see that I am too late. You won't be a Mrs. DiNozzo because some other man has already snatched you up and made you an expectant mother."

Charity was having the most terrible time holding in her laughter. _Oh, somebody needs to tell him because I'm going to laugh instead of talk._ Charity thought.

Tony stood from his desk and started to walk around. "Actually, she is going to be a Mrs. DiNozzo." Tony said, reaching Charity and putting an arm around her shoulders.

"What?" senior asked, utterly shocked.

"Charity and I are getting married and you're gonna be a grandpa." Tony told his father.

"So, when are you getting married?" He asked.

"In a week and a half." Tony answered. "The wedding is going to be in our backyard. This is why I've been trying to contact you."

Before Senior could respond, Gibbs entered the room. He looked at the group. He watched as Senior turned to look at him. "So, you and I are going to share a grandchild." Senior stated.

"Grandchildren." Charity corrected. "It's twins."

Senior turned his attention back to Charity. "Twins?"

Charity nodded. "Yup."

Senior then turned his attention to his son. "Way to go Junior."

Charity and Abby both giggled.

Tony wasn;t quite sure what to say, so he turned his attention to Charity and Abby. "So, what are you two up to?" He asked.

"Just wedding planning." Charity answered.

"Well, where is this house of yours?" senior asked, speaking up. "So, I can know where the wedding is."

"Well, we were actually going to be heading to the house, to go over a few things." Charity said. "You could ride with us."

"Oh, going for a car ride with two beautiful women. That's right up my alley." Senior said.

"Alright, let's go!" Abby piped up excitedly.

"I'll see you at home tonight." Charity said, turning to Tony and giving him a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Tony replied, going in for another kiss.

Then Abby and Charity were leaving with Senior. Tony felt slightly worried. he knew how his father could be.

"Don't worry DiNozzo." Gibbs said. "If your father misbehave, Charity will out him in his place."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Tony muttered.

Gibbs smirked and then turned his attention to the file on his desk.

**A/N: So, I'm thinking about maybe bringing in a cousin from Italy for Tony. A male cousin that was like a big brother to him. What do you guys think?**


	64. Chapter 64

The next day, Charity and Abby were in a dress shop. Charity was setting on a couch and Abby was trying on and modeling dresses. "Okay, Charity, I think you're going to love this one." Abby called out before she stepped outta the dressing room.

Abby stepped out in a tea-leangth saphire dress. It was a simple A-line dress that had a ribbon at the waist. It had a square neckline and was made from cotton. Abby spun around in the dress, making it twirl. "So, do you like?" She asked.

"I like." Charity replied, nodding. "This is your dress. You look adorable."

"But I won't outshine you." Abby added. "Of course in Tony's eyes no one could outshine you. I mean he can hardly keep his eyes and hands off of you as it is."

Charity grinned. "Go put your normal clothes on and we'll buy your dress."

Abby grinned back at Charity. "Yes bridezilla."

Charity playfully glared at Abby. "You want a bridezilla? I can show you a bridezilla."

Abby held up a hand. "Nope, I'm good. I'll go change." She then turned around and headed back into the dressing room.

After Abby had finished changing, they headed to the front desk to pay for the dress. The cashier was an overly-perky blond who went overboard trying to sell the girls a store credit card. They adamently refused the credit card and then left the store with their purchase.

"What is it with these dress shops?" Abby asked. "I mean do they seriously only emply overly perky and friendly blonds?"

"I think it's a law." Charity said. "I like your perkiness. You have just the right amount to be loveable. They are just annoying."

"Awe, I'm glad you think I'm loveable." Abby replied.

Charity grinned. "There isn't one person on the face of this planet that doesn't find you loveable, Abby." Charity told her.

"You're probably right."Abby replied.

"Alright, to Hobby Lobby." Charity said.

"Right." Abby agreed.

Charity put the car into gear and drove off. They soon arrived and were picking out flowers, ribbons, and anything else they would need. Then they got back into the car and headed to Tony and Charity's house.

They were sitting on the couch giggling and putting the flower arrangements together, when Tony arrived home. "Our house has become wedding central." Tony commented as he saw the mess of flowers, ribbons, and tape on the table and couch.

Charity looked up at him and grinned. "Hey, you're the one that wanted to marry me." She teased.

"Still do." Tony told her walking over and bending over for a kiss. "So, do you know where my dad is?"

"Nope. Haven't seen him all day." Charity answered.

Just then there was knock on the front door. "I'll go answer that." Tony said, heading for the door. He opened the door to find his father and a man he hadn't seen in years, standing on the other side.

"Tony!" The man greeted.

"Bernie?" Tony replied surprised.

"It's me." Bernie replied. Then he stepped closer and he and Tony shared a _bro hug._

Tony stepped back and allowed his father and Bernie's entrance. "What are you doing here?" Tony asked.

"You're dad called me up and told me you were getting married in a week and a half. So, I hopped on the first available flight and came here as soon as I could." Bernie answered. "I had to come for the wedding and to meet the woman that finally snatched you up."

"Speaking of, where is my daughter-in-law-to-be?" Senior asked.

"She and Abby are in the living room." Tony answered. "I will warn you, they are in wedding planner mode."

Tony then led the other two men into the living room. The two women looked up at their approach. "Speak of the devil." Charity said grinning and looking at Senior.

Then Bernie walked into view. "So, which of these lovely ladies is the future Mrs. DiNozzo?" He asked.

Charity stood up and walked over to stand by Tony. "That would be me." She said.

"Charity this is my cousin Bernie DiNozzo." Tony said. "Bernie this is Charity."

Bernie took Charity's hand and placed a kiss on it. "E 'un piacere di incontrare la donna prevedeva che ha rubato il cuore di mia cugina bambino." Bernie told Charity.

Charity grinned. "Ed è un piacere conoscerti." Charity replied, speaking perfect Italian. Then she turned to Tony. "How come you never speak Italian to me?" She teased.

"I don't know, but judging by your reaction, I should more often." Tony replied. Then he turned to his cousin. "Bernie, you're making me look bad, here."

Bernie grinned. "I'm sorry, but you know how I get when I'm around beautiful women. And there are two in this room."

Abby stood up and walked over. "I'm Abby Sciuto." She greeted.

"The forensic scientist my cousin has told me about." Bernie said.

Charity turned her gaze to Tony. "So you told your cousin about Abby, but not about me?"

Tony suddenly felt like he'd just dug himself into a hole that he had no hope of climbing out of.

"Don't be too upset. He hasn't called me or written in about eight months." Bernie said.

"And that's because you were keeping me occupied." Tony told Charity.

Charity grinned. "I was never mad. I just enjoy watching you squirm." She told Tony.

"You know, one of these days, I'm going to torment you back." He told her kissing her cheek.

"So, Charity, I have to know how did you meet my cousin?" Bernie asked.

"We met the day I came home and surprised my dad at work." Charity answered.

"You remember my boss, I've told you about?" Tony asked.

"The hardass that's always slapping you upside the head, Gibbs?" Bernie asked.

"Yeah." Tony answered.

"He's my father." Charity supplied.

Bernie looked between Tony and Charity. "Wow." was all he could say. Then he turned his attention back to Charity. "So, where had you come home from?" Bernie asked.

"Iraq." Charity answered.

"What was a beautiful creature like you doing over there?" He asked.

"Fighting the war on terror." Charity answered. "I just retired from the Marine Core."

"So, you'll be able to keep Tony in line?" Bernie asked, teasingly.

Charity grinned. "No amount of military training can help me keep him in line. That's just impossible."

"Hey now." Tony said.

"So, I'm guessing you guys are close?" Charity asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, Bernie here is like the big brother I never had." Tony said.

"Yup, I taught him everything he knows." Bernie said.

Charity raised an eyebrow. "Everything?" She asked.

"Yup, everything about women and sex." Bernie finished.

"Then I owe you a big thank you." Charity replied with a grin.

Everyone then broke out into laughter. Tony kissed Charity's forehead.

"You are one lucky man, Tony." Bernie said. "This ones a firecracker."


	65. Chapter 65

The next day, Abby, Ziva, and Charity were in Abby's lab at the beginning of the day. "So, Tony has a cousin?" Ziva asked.

Abby and Charity both nodded. "And apparently looks and charm run in the DiNozzo family." Charity said.

"Then those two traits skipped over Tony." Ziva remarked.

"Hey, that's the father of my children, you're talking about." Charity replied. "Besides, Tony is very handsome and charming."

"Well, he certaintly charmed the pants off of you." Abby said, unable to help herself.

Charity grinned. "Again and again."

"So, I'm guessing Tony and his cousin are close?" Ziva asked, changing the subject.

"Yes." Abby answered. "He said Bernie was like a big brother to him."

"And according to Bernie he taught Tony everything he knows." Charity added.

"So basically another Tony? That's the last thing we need around here." Ziva said.

Abby and Charity laughed. "Just what are you ladies laughing about?" Tony asked walking into the room.

"That would be classified." Charity replied with a grin.

Tony grinned back at Charity and shook his head. Then he walked over to her and kissed her cheek. Bernie then walked in behind him.

Ziva looked closely at Bernie. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a nice shirt. He had brown hair and dark eyes, a strong defined jaw, and from whe she could tell uner the clothes was a well built body. He was definitely attractive.

Bernie's gaze swept across the women and then landed on Ziva. He stepped closer and she offered her hand. "I'm Ziva David." She greeted.

Bernie smiled at her and took her hand. He placed a kiss on her hand, his eyes never leaving Ziva's. "I'm Bernie DiNozzo. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss David." He replied. Then he turned his attention to his cousin. "Now, I can see why you would choose to work at NCIS, but I don't see how you can ever get any work done."

"He doesn't." Ziva replied. "Tony doesn't know how to work."

"Hey, I work just all the time." Tony said.

"If you worked all the time Charity wouldn't be pregnant." Ziva retorted.

"You have to admit, that was a good one." Charity told Tony.

"True, but if you look at it that way, I'm even more productive when I'm _playing_. I mean we are having twins." Tony replied.

Ziva rolled her eyes. Then she turned her attention back to Bernie. "So, what brings you here?" She asked.

"I came for the wedding of course." Bernie answered. "Well, and the bachelor party."

The three women in the room shared an evil grin. "What are you three grinning about?" He asked.

"We already did my bachelor party and they kinda crashed it." Tony answered.

"Only because you and McGee spied on my bridal shower." Charity said. "It was revenge."

"How did you crash it?" Berni asked, unable to help his curiosity.

"We sent in sixty-year-old strippers." Abby answered. "Charity's brillaint idea."

"Oh man, that's...that...that sucks." Bernie got out. "But it's funny."

"You should have been there to watch it." Ziva said.

"We were practically rolling on the floor laughing." Abby said.

Bernie turned his attention back to Tony. "You know, we have to redo your bachelor party?"

"One condition." Tony said.

"What's that?" Bernie asked.

"No strippers. After that experience, I can never look at a stripper again." Tony answered. Then he looked at Charity and noticed she was giving him one of the looks that reminded him of her father. "Nor would I want to. Not when I have Charity." He added, placing an arm around her.

Charity looked up at Tony a smirk on his face. "Nice save." She teased. "Of course, you go to a strip club, I go to a strip club."

"Then definitely no strippers." Tony said, turning to his cousin.

"Damn." Charity said with a mischevious grin.

"Firecracker coz. Firecracker." Bernie told Tony.

"Don't I know it." Tony replied.

"DiNozzo! David, grab your gear." came a very familiar and athoratative voice. "We got a case."

"On your six boss." Tony said. Then he turned to Charity and gave her a qucik kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She replied.

Tony clapped his hand on Bernie's shoulder. "Later. I'm sure Charity and Abby can keep you entertained."

"Later." Bernie replied. Once Tony and Ziva left, Bernie looked at the two women. "So, that gray-haired guy that was just here, he's your dad?" He asked Charity.

"Yup." Charity answered.

Bernie nodded, not wanting to say anything to offend Charity. "So, what are you ladies going to be doing today?" He asked.

"Well, when I'm not using forensics on the evidence, we'll be working on wedding plans." Abby answered.

"So, once they come back, then we will have to be done for the day." Charity added.

"So, what exactly is this wedding going to be like?" Bernie asked.

Abby and Charity then began to explain the plans to Bernie. Then when the team returned and Abby had to get to work. Charity had plans to meet up with one of her female friends from the Core and Bernie headed out to spend some time with his Uncle Anthony Senior and plan Tony's new bachelor party.


	66. Chapter 66

It was three days until the wedding. It was the night of Tony's redo bachelor party and Charity's bachelorette party. Tony's party crew consisted of himself, Bernie, McGee, Senior, and surprisingly Gibbs. Charity's crew was herself, Abby, Ziva, and Claire.

_Tony's party..._

The boys arrived at a local club via a limo that Senior and Bernie had rented (mostly Bernie). They hopped out of the limo and walked into the club. Tony looked at the name of the club and realized that it was the same club that he and Charity had met up at before. He let out a small chuckle at the memory.

"What's so funny coz?" Bernie asked.

Tony looked over at his cousin. "I'll tell you later." He answered, not wanting to say anything about that night in front of Gibbs.

"Hey, Junior, isn't this that club that you took me to the last time I visited?" Senior asked.

"Yeah." Tony answered.

The men then walked into the club and grabbed a table. A rather actractive waitress came over and went around the table asking the men what they would like to drink. She got to Gibbs and seemed to pay extra attention to him. "Can I get anything for you Sugar?" She asked.

"Just a beer." Gibbs answered.

"Well, if there's _anything_ else I can do for you, let me know." She told him and then went to get the drinks.

She soon returned with the drinks and once again hit on Gibbs. He just kind of ignored her advances, not interested. She left and then the guys talked and drank and joked.

_Charity's party..._

The girls arrived at a karaoke bar. They walked in and sat down at a table. They all ordered nonalcoholic beverages, supporting Charity. Charity sipped her iced-tea and looked at Abby. "I know it was your idea to come here." She accused.

"Yes, but that's only because of those youtube videos of you." Abby replied.

"Katie didn't tell me she was filming me." Charity replied.

"Well, we are all gonna do some karaoke." Abby told her. "And of course we all have to do a number together."

"You're devious." Charity told Abby.

"Oh, you know you love me." Abby replied. "And you love to sing."

"So, whose gonna go first?" Charity asked.

"I'll go." Claire piped up. She then walked up and picked out a song. Then she was up on stage, singing Katy Perry's "I Kissed A girl." Once she had finished, she returned to the table.

"Only you would pick that song." Charity teased, Claire.

Claire grinned. "Hey, I love to share the love with everyone." Claire replied with a grin.

"You just like that it makes men fantasize about you." Charity retorted.

"Well, duh." Claire replied with a grin.

"Well, I guess I'll go next." Ziva said, getting up to take her turn. She looked through the list and picked a song. She hopped up on the stage and sang "These Boots were made for Walkin'." Once her perfromance was over, Ziva came back to her seat.

The girls gave her a round of applause. Ziva smiled. "That was the first time I've sung on stage and not been undercover." She stated.

The girls watched and listened as a couple of other girls got up on the stage and sang. Once they were finished, Abby jumped up and picked her song. She decided to go with Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me."

When she returned to the table, she turned to Charity. "Alright, it's your turn." Abby said.

Charity let out a sigh. "Alright." She said. She stood up and walked over. She picked out her song and got up on stage. She sang Cascada'a "Because the Night." Without her knowing, Abby was of course recording her performance.

Once Charity had finished, she looked at the group. "Okay, now we have to pick our group song." She said.

"I knew you liked to sing." Abby said.

Charity glared playfully at Abby. "Come on, let's get this over with."

The four women got up and picked out their song. They got up on the stage and sang "Lady Marmalade."

_Tony's party..._

The men had left the club and headed to a local bar. They spent some time there, sharing stories and toasting Tony. Women kept coming to the table and hitting on Gibbs.

"What's your secret?" Bernie asked, looking at Gibbs.

"What secret?" Gibbs inquired.

"All these women keep hitting on you." Bernie replied.

Gibbs smirked. "I have no secret." He answered. Then he looked at his watch. "Well, I hate to, but it's time for me to call it a night." Gibbs said. Then he got up and left the bar and took a cab home.

After a while later, the other men left and headed back to Tony and Charity's house. Once they arrived Bernie brought out some DVDs. "Since we aren't having strippers, I figured we could watch these." He said, pulling out some special "movies."

"You always find a way around the rules." Tony said with a chuckle.

"It's what I do." Bernie said, popping one of the DVDs in. The guys then sat back and watched the movies.

_Charity's party..._

After they finished at the karaoke bar, the girls headed to a hotel room they had rented for the evening. They got in their pajamas and popped in watched _Magic Mike_. Once the movie was over Ziva looked up. "That plot line was very confusing."

"There was a plot?" Charity and Claire asked in unison.

Abby giggled. "Alright, it's sharing time."

"What do you mean?" Charity asked.

"Well, one of us asks a question and then it goes around and everyone answers it." Abby replied. "I'll start. Who is the best lover you've ever had and why?"

Everyone answered the question. Then it got to Charity. "Tony." she answered.

"He's not here, so you can answer honestly." Ziva said. "We won't say anything."

"I am being honest." Charity answered. "He's the only man I have ever been with who can push the right button every time...multiple times. If you know what I mean."

Ziva looked at Charity. "Seriously?"

Charity nodded. "He...knows things."

"What kind of things?" Abby asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Things that I really don't think I can say out loud." Charity answered.

"I always thought he exaggerated all this time." Ziva muttered.

The girls asked and answered a few more questions and then they played a few games, before falling asleep. Charity and Claire slept in one bed and Abby and Ziva slept in the other.

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It was pretty hard for me to come up with the Bachelor party. I really enjoy reading your reviews.**


	67. Chapter 67

The next day around noon, Charity and the other girls were getting their stuff together, when Charity's cell phone rang. She looked at the screen, it was Gibbs. "Hey Daddy." She greeted.

"Hey, baby girl." He told her. "Are you home yet?"

"Nope, we are still at the hotel. What's up?"

"Come by the house before you head home. I have a surprise for you." He answered.

"Okay, I'll be there in a little bit. Love you, Daddy."

"Love you, too, baby girl."

Charity hung up the phone. "What did Gibbs want?" Ziva asked.

"He just wanted me to come by the house before I headed home." Charity answered.

The women finished getting things together and then headed out. They dropped Charity off at Gibbs's house. She walked up to the door and opened it. _Unlocked as always._ She thought as she stepped inside.

"Daddy." She called out.

"In the kitchen, baby girl." Gibbs called back.

Charity walked into the kitchen. Her dad was leaning against the counter and then she turned her attention to the table. "Pappy Jack!" She said, excitedly.

Jackson Gibbs stood up and opened his arms. Charity walked right into them and they shared an embrace. When they broke apart, Jackson looked his granddaughter up and down. "So, how is my little junebug feeling?" He asked.

"I'm fine." Charity answered grinning.

"I didn't believe it when your father told me you were pregnant, but seeing is believing." Jackson said.

"Yup, twins." Charity replied.

"So, whose the lucky man that gets to marry my little junebug?" Jackson asked.

Charity looked at her father. "You mean, you didn't tell him?"

"Nope, thought I'd let at least one thing be a surprise." Gibbs answered.

"Have I met him?" Jackson asked.

"Yeah, a couple of times before." Charity answered. "Why don't you come with me to the house and meet him again?"

"Alright." Jackson agreed. "Let's go."

"You gonna come, too, Daddy?" Charity asked her father.

"Nah, I've got a project to finish up in the basement." Gibbs answered. "If I don't see you before, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, love you Daddy."

"Love you too, baby girl." Gibbs replied, walking over to give his daughter a kiss on the forehead.

Charity and her grandfather walked out the frontdoor and hopped in Jackson's truck. Charity gave Jackson the directions and soon they arrived at the house. "This is a nice house." Jackson said.

"And you haven't seen the inside yet." Charity said.

The pair got out of the truck and headed inside. They walked into the kitchen and it was empty. Charity walked around looking for Tony. Just then she heard someone coming down the stairs. She walked to the stairway and found Tony wearing onlyhis underwear walking down the stairs. He looked like he had just woken up and possible had a hangover.

"Afternoon sunshine." She greeted.

Tony looked up from the floor and saw Charity. It took him a couple of minutes, but he finally smiled at her. He still looked half asleep. "Hello gorgeous." He walked over to her and pulled her to him.

Charity giggled.

"Nice to see you again." Jackson said walking in.

Tony looked up from Charity, surprised to see Jackson there. "Hello." Tony said.

"So, you're gonna marry my little junebug?" Jackson asked.

"Yeah." Tony answered, then he looked at Charity. "Junebug?"

"I was born in June." She replied. "It's a lot better than being known as Spanky."

"Okay, I surrender." Tony said. "I'm gonna go get some clothes on. Then I'll be back down to visit." He gave Charity a kiss and then headed back up the stairs.

Once Tony was up the stairs, Jackson turned to Charity. "You happy Junebug?" He asked.

Charity looked at her grandfather. "Yup." She answered with a smile. "Tony's the best."


	68. Chapter 68

It was now the night before the wedding. Charity had decided to spend the night over at her dad's, spending some time with him and her grandfather. Charity was in her pajamas, setting on the couch between Gibbs and Jackson. The three of them were watching a movie and munching on popcorn.

While they watched the last movie, Charity leaned her head on Gibbs' shoulder. Gibbs kissed the top of her head and put an arm around her shoulders. Once the movie was over Charity decided she would get to bed. She gave her grandpa a kiss on the cheek. "Love you Pappy Jack." She said.

"Love you, too junebug." He said kissing her cheek.

Charity then kissed her dad on the cheek. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too Baby Girl."

Charity headed up the stairs and to her old room. Gibbs still hadn't done anything to change it. She slid under the covers and just before she could turn the lamp on, there was a knock at her door. "Come in." She called.

Gibbs walked into the room, holding something in his hand. He walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. He then held the item he'd been carrying out to his daughter. Charity looked at it and noticed that it was an old, yellowed envelope. She took it. "The day you were born, your mom wrote that letter. She wanted to give it to you on your wedding day." Gibbs explained. "I know it's a few hours early, but I thought you might wanna read it now."

Charity nodded unsure of what else to say. Then Gibbs reached into his pocket and pulled out a jewelry box. He handed it to Charity. Charity opened the box to see a beautiful silver heart-locket. On the outside were two hearts linked together and the words, _Love is the bridge between two hearts._

"It was your mothers. She wore it when we got married." Gibbs told Charity.

Tears welled up in Charity's eyes, but she blinked them away. She then threw her arms around her father. "Thank you, Daddy." She said.

Gibbs didn't say a word. He just embraced his daughter and kissed the top of her head. He held her for a few moments and then pulled back. "I'll let you read that letter." Gibbs said. He leaned in and kissed Charity on the forehead and then got up and walked out of the room.

Once her father was gone, Charity looked at the envelope in her hand. She slowly opened it and pulled the letter out. She took a deep breath as she slowly unfolded the letter and then read it silently.

_Dear Charity,_

_ It was just hours ago that you came into this world and I am so happy to have another daughter. You and your big sister are the two greatest gifts in my life. Even though you are only hours old, you have already brought so much joy to our family. _

_ Now that you are reading this, you are a grown woman and today is your wedding day. I know that this man must be wonderful and he is very lucky to have my baby as his bride. I know that this is the happiest day of your life. I remember when I married your father, it was the happiest day of my life. Of course now that is tied with when you adn Kelly were born._

_ I hope that today is everything you've ever dreamed it would be. This is a wonderful day and I am so very happy for you. I also want you to know that even though you are grown now, you will always be my baby and I will always love you. You, Kelly, and your father are my world and mean everything to me. _

_ Charity Faith Gibbs, I wish you to have love and faith in your life. I wish you happiness and everything wonderful in the world. You are my daughter, my heart, and a part of me. I love you baby and I wish you all the best and a most wonderful wedding day._

_Love,_

_Mommy_

Charity finished reading the letter, silent tears falling down her face. She read and reread the letter until the tears made it impossible to see. Then she clutched the letter to her chest. _I love you and miss you so much, Mom._ Charity thought.

_Gibbs..._

Gibbs sat in his basement. He poured himself a cup of bourbon. He opened his tool box and pulled out a few pictures. He looked through the ones of Charity when she was a little girl.

He flipped to one that was one of his favorites. Charity was wearing shorts and a tshirt, her feet bare and deep in a mud puddle. She was covered in mud from head to toe and grinning from ear to ear. He remembered when she was done playing in the mud her running up to him and throwing her arms around him, getting him all muddy.

Gibbs smiled at the memory. "It's always hard, letting your kids grow up." Jackson said, walking down the steps.

Gibbs looked up at his father. "How'd you know I'd be down here?" Gibbs asked.

"Because, I remember when you left for the Core, setting and looking through old photos of you when you were a kid." Jackson answered. Then Jackson looked around and noticed the start of two cribs. "Already taking care of your grandkids?"

Gibbs smirked. "It's gonna be nice to be a grandpa." He replied.

Jackson nodded. "Spoil them rotten and then send them home."


	69. Chapter 69

Abby arrived at Gibbs' house bright and early on the day of the wedding. Gibbs and his father were already up, and drinking coffee. "Where's Charity?" She asked.

"Still in bed." Gibbs answered.

Abby nodded and headed up the stairs. She knocked on the door and then stepped inside, not waiting for a response. "How can you still be in bed?" Abby asked as she entered the room. Then she noticed that Charity was sitting on the bed, looking through a shoe box of pictures. "What are you doing?"

Charity looked up at Abby. "Looking for this." Charity answered holding up an old picture from the shoe box. It was a picture of a young Gibbs in his Dress Blues and a gorgeous red head in a white dress next to him.

"A wedding picture of Gibbs and your mom?" Abby asked.

Charity nodded. "This picture if just the right size." She said.

"Right size for what?" Abby inquired.

Charity lifted the jewelry box with the locket her father had given her the night before. She opened it and pulled out the locket and showed it to Abby. "For this. It was Mom's locket. She wore it the day her and Daddy got married. I'm going to wear it. I wanted this picture in one side and when I get the pictures back, I want tp put a picture from today in the other side."

"Okay, but you still need tp get your butt in gear. We have so much to do." Abby chided.

Charity grinned. "Yes, mother."

_Tony..._

Tony stood in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee. He looked out the window and into the backyard. In just a few hours, he and Charity would be getting married in that backyard.

Tony smiled as he thought back to how their relationship started. When he had first met Charity, he had no idea then, just how important she would be to him. It wasn't because he hadn't found her attractive, even in her beat up and badaged condition, he had found her attractive. It hadn't even been because of the obvious of her being Gibbs' daughter. It had been becuase Tony had given up on finding that person. He'd thought that he'd had only two chances at finding the one and both of those chances were gone. That had all changed with the first conversation he and Charity had shared, at The Eagle.

Tony looked over at the counter and lifted the note cards he'd had there. He picked them up and looked them over. On the cards were written the vows he had written. The vows he would soon be telling Charity, in front of their closest friends and family.

"Hey coz." came the familiar voice of Bernie.

"Hey." Tony replied, not looking up from his cards.

"Are you getting nervous?" Bernie asked.

"Of course not." Tony answered. "DiNozzos don't get nervous."

Bernie grinned and clapped Tony on the shoulder. "Just like I taught you." Bernie said, smiling proudly.

Tony chuckled and shook his head. "Welp, we'd better start working on getting the backyard ready. Abby might kill me if she arrives and it's not set up."

"Good point. Then you'd better get some clothes on."

Tony nodded and then headed up the stairs to get dressed. He pulled on a pair of jeans and a tshirt. Then he went back downstairs and he and Bernie went to the backyard and started setting things up for the wedding.

_Charity..._

Charity sat in the chair at a beauty salon. She was getting her hair and nails done. At the moment they were working on her nails. Charity looked over at Abby. "Why did I let you talk me into this?" Charity asked.

"Because you want to look your best on your wedding day." Abby answered. "Plus this pedicure feels amazing, doesn't it?"

"I can't argue with you on the pedicure, but this isn't normally me. Besides, Tony seems to be happy with the unmanicured and pedcured nails." Charity replied.

"Oh, just trust me. If you didn't get this done, you'd regret it."

"Whatever you say." Charity replied, leaning her head back against the chair.

After a few more minutes, they had finished Charity's nails. She hadn't wanted anything fancy so her nails were done with a simple clear polish. Charity was moved to another chair, where they began to work on her hair.

They curled, styled, and pinned until her hair was just right. When they were finished, Charity looked into the mirror. Part of it was pinned back out of her face and curls cascaded down her back. There were little white and blue flowers pinned in her hair.

Charity turned to Abby. "Okay, you were right." She admitted.

"I know." Abby replied, smiling hugely. Her hair was down and curled, with a headband that matched her maid of honor dress.

The women soon left and then headed to Tony and Charity's house. Charity stayed in the car while Abby went inside to make sure that Tony wouldn't see Charity. Abby made her way up the stairs and knocked on Tony and Charity's bedroom door.

"Who is it?" Tony called from inside the room.

"Abby."

"Just a minute." After a couple of more minutes, Tony stepped out of the bedroom wearing a nice suit and tie. "So, what's up?" He asked.

"I'm here to kick you out of your house and into the backyard." Abby answered.

"Why?" Tony asked.

"To keep you from seeing your bride before the wedding, of course." Abby answered. "Now get your butt downstairs and into the backyard."

"Yes, ma'am." Tony replied, giving Abby a sarcastic salute.

Abby walked down the steps, following Tony and making sure he was in the backyard. Once Abby was satisfied, she headed to the car and grabbed Charity. They quickly went into the house and headed to the bedroom.

Abby pulled their dresses from the dress bag she'd brought. "Alright, disrobe." Abby comanded Charity.

Charity laughed and shook her head. "You crack me up, Abby." Charity replied.

"Hey, we have to get everything ready. We have twenty minutes."

"Abby, they can't start the wedding without me. I'm the bride." Charity said.

Abby narrowed her eyes. "Just do it."

Charity laughed again, but slipped out of her jeans and unbuttoned her top. Abby handed her the dress and Charity slipped it on. Abby zipped the dress up for her, then she slipped out of her own clothes and put on her dress, Charity zipping it up for her.

Abby then dove into Charity's closet and pulled out two pairs of shoes. She handed a pair of silver strappy heels to Charity. "Do I really have to wear these?" Charity asked.

"Of course." Abby answered. "Now put them on." Abby commanded as she pulled on a pair of heels that matched her dress. Then she helped Charity put on the blusher-style veil that went with the dress. Once that was done, Abby handed Charity her bouquet. "Perfect."

Charity smiled and looked in the mirror. She took in a breath. "Holy crap."

"What?" Abby asked.

"It's really happening." Charity said.

"What's really happening?" Abby asked.

"I'm really getting married." Charity answered.

Abby couldn't help but smile. "I hear that this happens with most brides."

_Tony..._

Tony stood outside in the backyard, looking around as the guests arrived. Bernie stood next to him, his best man. "This is definitely a nice place to get married." Bernie commented, able to tell his cousin was nervous.

Tony nodded, looking back down at the vows he'd written. "I'm going to forget these." Tony mumbled.

Before Bernie could say anything, Gibbs was making his way over to Tony. Gibbs gave Tony a slap to the back of the head. "Don't get so nervous, DiNozzo." Gibbs told him. "You'll do just fine.

Tony looked up at Gibbs. "Thanks boss. I needed that." Tony replied.

"Now, let's talk." Gibbs said, gesturing that Tony should step aside with him.

The two men walked a little ways away and Gibbs looked at Tony. "I always knew that one day, someone would come and take my place in taking care of Charity." Gibbs began.

"I'm not trying to take your place..." Tony began, trying to protest.

Gibbs waved his hand to interrupt him. "Tony, it's part if life. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I'm glad it's you."

Tony looked surprised. "Thanks boss."

Gibbs nodded. "Now, as her father, I must tell you, that if you ever gurt her, I will kill you."

Tony nodded. "I understand boss. I promise, I won't hurt her."

"Good." Gibbs said. "I'd hate to have to kill one of my best investigators." Gibbs said the last part with a smirk.

Tony smiled. "Thanks boss."

"Well, I'm gonna go check on Charity." Gibbs then clapped Tony on the shoulder. Then he headed into the house.

"What was that about?" Bernie asked, when Tony returned.

"Just the standard _if you hurt my daughter_ speech." Tony answered.

_Charity..._

There was a knock on the door. "Can I come in?" came Gibbs's voice.

"Yes." Abby and Charity answered in unison.

Gibbs walked into the room and shut the door behind him. "I'll give you guts some privacy." Abby said, stepping out of the room.

Once Abby was gone, Gibbs looked at his daughter. "You look beautiful, baby girl." Gibbs said.

"Thanks Daddy." Charity replied.

"You look so much like your mother." Gibbs told her, walking over to her and stroking her cheek. "I wish she could be here now. I wish she could see what a beautiful and wonderful woman you have turned out to be."

Charity smiled up at her dad, tears glistening in her eyes. "She's here, Daddy. She's always with us. If I remember right, you're the one that told me that."

Gibbs smiled at his daughter. He then pulled her into his arms. "I love you, so much, baby."

"I love you, too Daddy."

They stood there, embracing for quite a while. Charity pulled back first and looked up at her father. She dabbed at her eyes and looked up at her father. "I'm glad Abby used water proof mascara." She said, with a laugh.

Gibbs laughed with his daughter and even had to wipe at tears in his own eyes. "She always thinks of everything." He then reached a hand out and wiped at a tear Charity had missed.

There was a knock on the door. Then it opened and Abby peeked her head in. "Are you two ready?" She asked.

They both nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay, we have to run through a last minute check list." Abby said. "Something old?"

Charity nodded and gestured to the locket around her neck. "Got it."

"Something new?" Abby asked.

Charity beamed and placed a loving hand on her stomache. "I have two."

Abby grinned. "Something borrowed?"

"The silver bracelet you're letting me borrow." Charity answered.

"And I know you have the blue flowers in your hair." Abby said. "Alright, let's get this show on the road."

The trio made their way down the stairs, Charity hanging onto her father. It had been a while since she'd worn anything other than flats and combat boots in a long time. Now she was wearing six inch stillettos and feeling very wobbly.

_Tony..._

Tony stood at the alter with the minister and Bernie. Everyone who was invited had arrived and were seated. The music started and he watched as first Abby made her way down the asile. She took her spot and then the music changed.

Charity came into view, on her father's arm. As soon as he spotted her, Tony could only look at Charity. She looked absolutely stunning. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen and she was his. He couldn't believe it.

Charity's walk down the asile, soon ended. She turned and hugged her father. Then she was standing next to Tony and Gibbs was taking his seat. Tony and Charity turned to face the minister.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, in the sight of God, to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony. If there is anyone with just cause why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." The minister began, taking a oause here and looking around the guests in the room.

No one spoke up, so the minister continued. "With no objections, then we shall continue." He said. Then he turned to Tony. "Do you Anthony DiNozzo, take Charity Gibbs as your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, for richer or poorer,in sickness and in health, for better or worse, forsaking all others until death do you part?"

"I do." Tony answered.

The minister then turned to Charity. "Do you Charity Gibbs, take Anthony DiNozzo to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for better or worse, forsaking all other until death do you part?"

"I do." Charity answered.

The minister nodded. "At this point, Anthony and Charity have decided to express their love for each other in vows that they have written themselves." The minister spoke, to the crowd. Then he turned to Tony and Charity. "Join hands."

Charity handed Abby her bouquet and then she and Tony clasped hands. Tony said his vows first. "Charity, when I first met you, I had no idea that you would mean so much to me, that I could love someone as much as I love you." Tony began. "I never expected anyone to mean this much to me. It wasn't until we had our first conversation and the first time I made you laugh, that I began to fall for you. It was then that I realized that I wanted to do everything I could from then on to keep you laughing and keep that beautiful smile on your face. I vow to do everything in my power to make you happy and make you feel loved everyday of our life together. I will do anything and everything I can for you. I love you."

The minister handed Tony the ring and Tony slipped it on Charity's finger. Tony looked up at Charity and smiled. She was smiling back at him, tears of joy in her eyes. Charity took a moment to collect herself, before she began her vows.

"Tony, when we first met, I was in a very dark place. I couldn't imagine being happy, but that night when you first made me laugh, you woke something inside of me that I had thought was no longer there. You kept me from going stir crazy while I was locked up in the house all day. You made me laugh and smile like I haven't in years. You let me know that I could be happy again and that it was okay for me to be happy and move on in life. I'm so thankful to have you in my life and to know that you will be by my side for the rest of my life. You have given me a wonderful gift. In return for that gift, I want to give you my love, support, and myself for the rest of our lives. I love you."

The minister then handed Charity the ring. She then slipped the ring onto Tony's finger. They both looked at each other, smiling. _I love you._ Tony mouther to Charity.

_I love you, too._ Charity mouthed back.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife." The minister announced. Then he turned to Tony and gave him a wink. "You may now, kiss your bride."

Tony grinned devilishly at Charity. He lifted the small veil and then pulled her into his arms. He dipped her back, as if they were dancing the Tango, and then kissed her passionately. The flash of the photographer's camera showed and the flash of a few other cameras.

When they broke apart, Charity was looking up at Tony, grinning at him. Tony helped Charity right herself and put his arm around her waist. More pictures were snapped. Tony kissed Charity's cheek.

The newly wed couple posed for more pictures and hugged people as they come up to congratulate them. "Welcome to the family." Senior said, pulling Charity in for a hug and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you." Charity said, hugging him back.

After they had been congratulated by their guests, Abby spoke up. "Alright, let's start this reception."

"One second." Charity said. Then she bent down and pulled off her shoes. "Okay, now we can party."

Tony grinned at his wife and shook his head. "I like you shorter." He told her.

"Me, too." Charity agreed. She and Tony shared another kiss.


	70. Chapter 70

Once they declared the reception to start, music began to play. The food was set up in a buffet style and everyone was grabbing plates and loading them up. Everyone was setting and stuffing their faces.

Tony leaned over in his seat and kissed Charity on the cheek once again. "You look so beautiful." He told her.

She grinned at him. "You don't look too bad yourself."

After everyone had eaten, the DJ made an announcement. "Alright, it's time for the bride to dance with her father."

Gibbs rose from his seat and held his hand out to his daughter. Charity took his hand and walked out onto the dance floor with him. Gibbs put an arm around her waist and took one of her hands in his. Charity placed her other hand around his neck. The song, _I Loved Her First_ by Heartland began to play.

_Look at the two of you dancing that way,_

_Lost in the moment in each other's face_

_So much in love you're alone in this place,_

_Like there's nobody else in the world,_

_I was enough for her not long ago,_

_I was her number one she told me so._

_And she still means the world to me,_

_Just so you know_

_So be careful when you hold my girl_

_Time changes everything, life must go on,_

_And I'm not gonna stand in your way._

"I'm proud of you baby girl." Gibbs whispered to his daughter, as they danced.

"Thank you, Daddy." Charity replied.

_But I loved her first, I held her first_

_And a place in my heart will always be hers_

_From the first breath she breathed_

_When she first smiled at me_

_I knew the love of a father runs deep,_

_And I prayed that she'd find you someday,_

_But it's still hard to give her away_

_I loved her first_

Gibbs pulled Charity closer and kissed the top of her head. As they danced and the words of the second verse surrounded them, Gibbs could feel his self control slipping away. He could feel the tears burning at his eyes.

_How could that beautiful women with you,_

_Be the same freckle-faced kid that I knew?_

_The one that I read all those fairy tales to_

_And tucked into bed all those nights,_

_And _ knew the first time I saw her with you,

It was only a matter of time.

Charity burried her face into her father's shoulder as she felt warm tears slip down her face. She could hear Gibbs holding back his own tears and that made it hard for her to control herself.

_But I loved her first, I held her first_

_And a place in my heart will always be hers_

_From the first breath she breathed_

_When she first smiled at me_

_I knew the love of a father runs deep,_

_And I prayed that she'd find you someday,_

_But it's still hard to give her away_

_I loved her first._

As the song came to an end, Charity felt Gibbs' grip on her tighten slightly. His lips were once again on top of her head, giving her a sweet loving kiss.

_From the first breath she breathed_

_When she first smiled at me_

_I knew the love of a father runs deep._

_Someday you might know what I'm goin' through_

_When a miracle smiles up at you._

_I loved her first._

"I love you, Daddy." Charity said, kissing his cheek and then wiping at her tears.

Gibbs kissed her on the forehead. "I love you, Baby girl."

Charity sat back down by her husband. Tony took her hand and looked at her. "You alright?" He asked.

Charity smiled. "I'm fine." She answered. "I blame being pregnant."

Tony grinned at her and leaned in to give her a kiss. Then the DJ announced that it was time for their first dance as husband and wife. They stood up and walked out to the dance floor. The music came on and the song, _It's Your Love_ by TIm McGraw and Faith Hill came on.

Tony wrapped both of his arms around Charity's waist and pulled her close. Charity placed her arms around his neck. Tony leaned his forehead against Charity's and they danced. When the song ended, Tony gave Charity a tender kiss on the lips.

Once their song was over, they sat back down and music continued to play. People got up and danced and others continued to eat. After a little while later, the DJ made the announcement that it was time to toss the garter.

A chair was brought to the middle of the dance floor. Tony led Charity to it and helped her set down. The single guys then all gathered behind Tony. Tony lifted the skirt of Charity's dress slightly. He looked up at his bride and gave her a wink and a devilish grin. Charity gave him a quizzical look popping up one red brow. Then Tony stuck his head under the dress and grabbed onto the garter with his teeth.

Charity giggled and her face turned beat red. She watched as Tony slid the garter down Charity's long leg and off of her foot. Once it was off, Tony pulled it out of his mouth and tossed it to the waiting men behind him.

Tony turned to see that the garter had landed on top of his father's head. Everyone enjoyed a good laugh at the sight. Then Tony turned back to his red-faced wife, a huge grin on his face. "I think your face is the same color as your hair." He told her.

Charity tried to glare at Tony, but couldn't quite manage it. Tony leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "You can punish me later." He whispered in her ear.

"Oh, you can bet I will." She replied.

Tony grinned at her and gave her a wink. "I'm counting on it." Then he stood up and helped her up. They walked back to their seats.

A few more songs played and then it was time to toss the bouquet. Charity's face had returned to its normal color and she stood in the middle of the dance floor. All the single women crowded behind her, except Abby and Ziva. Charity looked over at them. "You two are getting back there." She ordered.

"What if we don't want to?" Ziva asked.

"Don't make me go all bridezilla on you two." Charity replied.

Abby and Ziva both sighed and then got up and joined the crowd. Charity turned her back to the group and then let the bouquet fly. Once it was in the air, Charity turned to watch it land in Ziva's hands.

Ziva glared over the flowers at Charity. "You aimed for me." She accused.

Charity grinned. "Nope."

After the garter and bouquet tosses, it was time to cut the cake. Tony and Charity stood side by side. Charity was holding the knife, and Tony had his hand on hers. They cut a piece of cake and then both took a piece of it to feed each other. Tony couldn't resist shoving the cake in Charity's face.

"You have no idea what you've just started." She told him, grinning devilishly. She grabbed a larger piece and shoved it in Tony's face.

Tony grinned at her. "That the best you can do?" Then he pulled her to him and began to kiss her with his cake covered face. He trailed the kisses down her neck.

Charity giggled and tried to push Tony away, but couldn't because she was laughing too hard.

After a while, they got cleaned up and then the reception continued. everyone danced and ate and had a good time. After a while, Tony and Charity were ready to leave and start their honeymoon.

They hopped in Charity's Mustang. Charity had agreed to let Tony drive. Tony opened the passenger door for Charity and then climbed into the driver's seat. He turned the key, put the car into gear, and they were off.

Gibbs stared off after the car. _My baby is all grown up._ He thought. Then he looked up at the sky. _I wish you were here to see her, Shannon._

Out of nowhere the song _Holes in the floor of Heaven _began to play and it began to rain. Gibbs smiled up at the sky.

**A/N: I want to thank you guys for the reviews. It means so much to me that you guys think I'm such a good writer. As I'm sure most of you know, when you write you are your own hardest critic and it's so nice to hear other people tell you how much they are enjoying your work. Thank you guys so much.**


	71. Chapter 71

As they drove off to their destination, Charity turned the radio on in the car. She shifted through a bunch of stations, trying to find one that didn't have static. She knew that would be hard, considering it had started to rain. She finally found a station and it was playing the song, _Holes in the Floor of Heaven_.

Charity could help but smile as she heard the song. It was nice for her to think that her mom and sister were watching over her, were there for her on her wedding day. "I haven't heard this song in a while." Tony said, seeming a little off in thought himself.

"Me either." Charity replied. "After Mom and Kelly...I used to listen to it all the time."

"I did the same thing after my mom died." Tony admitted.

Charity smiled at the thought. _Perhaps they're up there watching us together._ She thought to herself.

A comfortable, contemplative silence filled the car for a while. Neither the bride nor groom spoke aloud. They just sat there, lost in their own thoughts for a while. Tony then internally shook himself from his thoughts and decided that it was time to think about other things. He reached a hand over and placed it on Charity's knee. He began to slowly move his hand up her thigh.

Charity giggled and playfully smacked his hand away. "Hold on just a minute there, Mr. DiNozzo. You have to wait till we get to the cabin." She teased.

Tony grinned. "But, Mrs. DiNozzo, I just can't control myself around you."

"No time like the present to learn self control." Charity replied with a grin, loving the sound of being called Mrs. DiNozzo.

"Well, if you insist." Tony said. "I guess I can try."

"That's all I ask." She said, leaning across the seat and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

A while later, they arrived at the park and soon found the cabin where they would be staying. "You stay here." Tony told her as he got out of the car. He grabbed their bags from the trunck and carried them up to the cabin. He sat them down and unlocked the door. Then he walked in with the bags. He soon returned to the car and opened Charity's door. He offered her his hand and helped her out. Once she was out, Tony shut the door and pulled Charity to his chest. He kissed her long and slow and deep.

After several intense seconds, Tony broke the kiss. He looked down at Charity and smiled. She smiled back up at him. The couple then made their way up the steps. Once they were at the door, Tony scooped Charity into his arms and carried her over the threshold.

The cabin was small and one story. It had a bedroom, bathroom, and a small kitchen. The bedroom was the front room. The kitchen was to the back of the cabin and the bathroom was to the right, the bedroom being in the center.

Tony carried Charity over to the bed and laid her on it. He kissed her again and began to climb on top of her. "Hold on just a second." Charity said, breaking the kiss. "I have a surprise for you." She told him.

Tony looked at her suspiciously. "Am I going to like this surprise?" He asked.

"Yes." She answered. Then she rolled off the bed and grabbed one of her bags. She then began to head into the bathroom.

"Can I wait in the bed naked?" Tony asked.

Charity grinned. "Yes." Then she walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

Tony was grinning like an idiot as he undressed. She kicked off his shoes and socks. Then he moved his hands to undo his tie. He slipped off his jacket and began unbuttoning his shirt. He quickly removed each piece of clothing and then slid into the bed, under the covers, and waited.

Charity soon came out of the bathroom wearing a white babydoll style nightie. It was lacey and see-through, just barely covering the essentials. "That's a nice little bit of nothing, you're almost wearing." Tony said, quoting a Bond film.

Charity grinned at Tony. "I knew you would like it." She said.

"I do, now get over here." He told her. "It's my turn to surprise you."

Charity walked over to the bed and slid in under the covers beside Tony. Then she swung a leg over him and straddled his hips. She grinned. "That's a pretty big surprise." She said.

Tony grinned back at her. Then he reached a hand to cup her cheek and pulled her lips to his for a passionate kiss. His hands then slipped down her body to remove the sexy little bit of lace. Once Charity's body was exposed to him, Tony moved his hands all over it, as if memorizing every line, every curve with his hands.

A low moan escaped Charity's lips as Tony expertly moved his hands over her body. She loved the feel of his hands on her body, it was something she could never get tired of. She let one of her hands slowly move down his body, stopping for a little while to play in his chest hair.

Tony flipped Charity over onto her back and he rolled over on top of her. He kissed her and trailed his kisses along her jaw, down her neck, and then down her naked body. He smiled as he felt her tremble with each touch of his lips. When he reached her belly button, he teased her like he was going to go lower, and then he began to move his lips back up her body.

Hours later, they lay in the bed, wrapped in each other's arms, the blankets a tangled mess around them. Tony kissed Charity's forehead and was running a hand up and down her spine. "I love you." He whispered across her flesh.

Charity snuggled closer to her husband. "I love you." She replied, her breath blowing across his neck as she said it. Then she placed a kiss on his neck. They both fell asleep not much later, completely exhausted.

_Gibbs the next day..._

Gibbs entered the squadroom. "Gear up." He ordered Ziva and McGee. "We have a case."

The team soon arrived at the crime scene. The victim was a young female Marine. She was a Corporal. She was wearing her brown Service Uniform. Her red locks were in the regulation bun and her unseeing green eyes were opened wide, a look of fright frozen on her face.

As Gibbs looked at the young woman, a sinking feeling made its way into his gut. The team began to process the scene and collect evidence. They finished processing the scene and headed back to NCIS.

Gibbs went down to see Duckie. "You have anything yet, Duck?" Gibbs asked.

"Our poor Corporal died a slow and painful death." Duckie answered. "She drowned."

"Then her body was dumped." Gibbs said. "Her clothes weren't wet."

"I think she was waterboarded." Duckie repled. "Over a period of several days."

"Thanks Duck." Gibbs said. He began to head for the elevator.

"Jethro." Duckie said. "That's not all."

"What else, Duck?"

"I found a micro SD card lodged in the young woman's throat. I sent it to Abby."

"I'll go see if she has anything from it yet." Gibbs said. Then he walked to the elevator and hopped on, that sinking feeling still in his gut. He stepped off the elevator and headed to Abby's lab.

"Hey, Gibbs." She greeted.

"You got anything off that SD card?" Gibbs asked.

"Not yet." Abby answered. "I'm still trying to pull something from it."

"As soon as you get anything, you let me know." Gibbs told her.

"Don't worry, I will." Abby replied.

Gibbs headed back to the squadroom. "What do ya got for me?" Gibbs asked, Ziva and McGee.

"Nothing unusual." Ziva answered. "I spoke with her CO and the others in her unit. No one had a problem with her. Her family also had nothing but sweet things to say about her."

"What about you, McGee?" Gibbs asked.

"Well, Corporal Williams went missing about a week ago." McGee answered. "She was last seen at a club with some girlfriends the night she disappeared. They said that she got a text and then left the club, no one has seen or heard from her since. I've been working on going through her phone records. She received three calls everyday from this number for a week before she disappeared." McGee highlighted the number on his computer. "The night she disappeared, she received three texts from the same number."

"Can you see what those texts said?" Gibbs inquired.

"I'm working on it." McGee answered. "It's hard without the phone."

Just then the phone on Gibbs's desk rang. He picked it up, it was Abby. "What's up Abs?"

"Get down here now." Abby answered and then hung up.

Gibbs got on the elevator and headed down to see Abby. "What do ya got Abs?" He asked as he entered the lab.

"This." Abby answered and pulled up a video link. They watched the dimly lit video. They saw a man laying on the a bed and watched as a woman came out in a white lacey nightie. She had long red hair that cascaded down her back. The couple exchanged some words before the woman climbed into bed.

The video cleared and came into focus as the couple began to make love. It was Tony and Charity and they were on their honeymoon. Gibbs pulled out his cell phone and dialed Charity's number.

"I've already tried both of their numbers." Abby said. "I couldn't get through."

"Do you know where they are?" Gibbs asked, Tony and Charity hadn't disclosed the location of their honeymoon.

"Nope." Abby answered. Then a thought occurred to her. "But I might be able to find someone who does." She pulled out her phone and dialed Lisa Moorhead's number. Since her company was paying for the honeymoon, Lisa might hopefully know. Unfortunately, Lisa wasn't able to help.

"I'll have to hack their system." Abby said, getting on her computer. "Get me McGee, I might need some help."

"You find out where they are and you get me." Gibbs told Abby. "I'm gonna keep trying to call them."


	72. Chapter 72

Tony woke in the morning, Charity wrapped up in his arms. One of her hands was on his chest. Tony moved a hand to hold hers. He lifted her hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on her fingers, then he moved her hand back down to his chest. He turned his head and kissed her forehead.

Charity yawned and slowly opened her eyes. "Morning." She mumbled, with a slow sleepy smile.

"Good morning, Mrs. DiNozzo." Tony told her, an ear-to-ear grin on his face.

Charity's smile widened. "I like the sound of that."

"I do, too." He told her, kissing the tip of her nose. "Now, are you ready to pick up where we left off last night?" He asked her.

Before Charity could open her mouth to respond, her stomache let out a growl. She grinned. "I think the twins are hungry." She said.

"We can get dressed, go to the lodge and get some breakfast." Tony suggested.

"And then come back and spend the next few hours in bed." Charity added.

"I love the way your mind works." Tony told her.

"Only because yours works the same way." she teased.

"One of the many reasons I married you." Tony replied.

The couple slowly rolled out of bed. The opened their bags and grabbed some clothes out. They both pulled on jeans and tshirts, before heading out the door. The only problem was that they couldn't go anywhere. "Where's Lola?" Charity asked, looking all over for her beloved Mustang.

Tony looked around, his eyes moving to the lining of the trees. He saw some movement, he looked closer and noticed that it was some people and they appeared to have guns. He turned around and began to push Charity back inside. Then he entered after her, shutting and locking the door behind them.

"Tony, what did you see?" She asked.

"We have company." He answered. "We have to stay away from the windows, and keep everything locked up."

_Gibbs..._

Gibbs was trying Tony and Charity's cell phones for the millionth time, but still no answer. They had no way to contact Tony and Charity and Abby was still looking for their location.

"Gibbs." Ziva said, coming up behind him.

"What is it?" He asked.

"They found Charity's car." She said.

"Where?" Gibbs asked.

"Off of a country road."

"Let's go get it."

"Gibbs, there is one thing."

"What?"

"The car has been burned and two bodies are inside of it."

Gibbs didn't say a word. He just headed to the elevator. Ziva followed him and they headed to the crime scene.

_Tony and Charity..._

Tony and Charity were both checking their cell phones, but were unable to get a signal. Tony tried the phone beside the bed, but found that it was disconnected. "They've cut the line." He said.

"So, there's no way for us to get help." Charity stated.

"Right." Tony agreed.

Charity sighed. She headed for one of her bags and grabbed out a knife and a pistol. "You always have a gun?" He asked.

"Yup, one of my rules." Charity answered.

Tony couldn't help but smile. "Everyone has their own set of rules." Tony didn't realize it, but he'd moved into the path of a window. A bullet came through the glass and landed in his shoulder. Tony dropped to the floor, holding his shoulder.

"Tony!" Charity screamed, and dropped to her knees and crawled over to Tony. "Are you okay?"

"Other than the fact that was just shot, yeah." Tony answered.

"Let me see." Charity said.

Tony slowly removed his hand from the wound and Charity began to examine it. "We're gonna have to remove your shirt." She said.

"I'm not gonna be able to lift my arm to take it off." Tony said.

Charity nodded. She then grabbed onto the sleeve of the shirt, her hands on either sides of the seam, and ripped it open. She looked more closely at the wound. "Good new is, it didn't hit an artery or anywhere close to one."

"What would be the bad news?" He asked.

"I'm gonna have to remove the bullet." she answered. "And it's gonna hurt."

Tony nodded. "Just do it." He told her.

Charity kissed his cheek. "I'll be right back." she crawled into the bathroom and found a first aid kit. She crawled back to Tony. Charity opened the kit and pulled out some rubbing alcohol and then grabbed her knife from her pocket. She sterilized the knife with the alcohol and then looked at her husband. "Just hold still."

"Have you done this before?" He asked.

"Yes." Charity answered. "I promise, you are in good hands. I am a professional."

Tony watched Charity lifted the alcohol to his shoulder and pour it onto the wound. He sucked in a breath. "That stings."

"I know. I'm sorry." Charity said, focusing on the task at hand. She then lifted the knife and began to dig the bullet from Tony's shoulder.

_Gibbs..._

Gibbs paced in the elevator as it headed to Abby's lab. _It's not them._ He thought as the elevator slowly descended. The elevator finally came to a stop and the doors parted. Gibbs stepped off and practically ran to Abby's lab.

She turned to him. "I don't have anything yet, Gibbs." She answered. "It's hard to pull DNA from that severely burnt of flesh."

Gibbs nodded. "I'll have to see what Duckie's found." Gibbs said.

"Gibbs?" Abby asked.

"Yeah, Abs?"

"You don't think it's them?" She asked.

"It can't be." Gibbs answered. "If something happened to Charity, I would know."

Abby nodded. "I'm still trying to hack into the company's records to find where they are staying."

"I know you can do it, Abs." Gibbs replied and then headed out the door. He headed down to autopsy. "You have anything Duck?"

"I can tell you, it's not Anthony and Charity." Duckie answered. "If this man were Tony, he would have significant scarring in his lungs from having had the plague and this woman is not and has never been pregnant."

Gibbs breathed a sigh of relief. "Do you know who they are?" He asked.

"No, I'm waiting for dental records." Duckie answered. "Or perhaps Abby will be able to find something."

Just then Gibbs's cell phone rang. It was Abby. "What do ya got Abs?"

"Where Tony and Charity are supposed to be having their honeymoon." Abby answered. She then gave Gibbs the location of the cabin.

Gibbs grabbed Ziva and they hopped in the car and headed for the cabin. It was a two-hour drive...if you went the speed limit, but as any father with his daughter in trouble, Gibbs was doing far more than the speed limit.

_Tony and Charity..._

Charity had dug the bullet from Tony's shoulder and she was working on stitching the wound closed. She finished the last stitch and then she took out some gauze and tape and put a dressing on it. Then she leaned in and kissed his shoulder.

Tony smiled at her. "I knew you were a good nurse." He told her. "When this is all over, I want a sponge bath."

Charity smiled back at him, her smile weaker than his. "You're the only person I know, who can get shot and be thinking about sex."

"Hey, who said anything about sex? I said sponge bath." Tony replied, trying to lighten the mood.

They sat there letting the eery silence surround them. Then they heard movement all around the cabin. Without a word, Tony and Charity both laid themselves flat on the floor. Bullets began to fly though the walls and windows. Charity cried out as a bullet ripped through her previously injured knee.

Tony lifted his uninjured arm and wrapped it around Charity, holding her close. He kissed the top of her head, as he covered her body with his. "I thought I left all this violence back in Iraq." Charity said, as she held onto her knee.

The barrage of bullets stopped and everything became quiet, too quiet. Tony grabbed the pistol Charity had brought and waited. The front door was kicked in and someone took slow, measured steps through the room.

When shoes came into view, Tony turned and aimed the gun at the intruder. "It's just me, DiNozzo." Gibbs said.


	73. Chapter 73

Soon after Gibbs arrived, Tony and Charity were taken to the emergency room. Gibbs had follwed the ambulance and Ziva had stayed at the cabin to collect evidence. Gibbs sat in the waiting room.

After what seemed like an eternity, Tony walked out and walked into the waiting room. He was wearing one of those lovely hospital gowns and his jeans. Gibbs looked up as Tony sat down next to him. "So, how's your shoulder?" Gibbs asked.

"Fine." Tony answered. "Charity patched me up good enough that they didn't have to do anything."

Gibbs nodded. "How's Charity?"

"She's asleep right now." Tony answered. "She's pretty shaken up. The doctor said we have to keep her stress down. She almost miscarried, but now that she's calmed and relaxing, the twins are fine."

"Small miracles." Gibbs muttered. "Anything else?"

"Depending on how things heal, after the twins are born, she may have to have her knee replaced." Tony answered.

Gibbs nodded.

Tony stood up. "I know you want to see her, so come on."

Gibbs stood and followed Tony through the halls. They entered the room and Charity was still sound asleep. Tony walked over and sat down on the ither bed on the room. Gibbs took a seat in a chair beside Charity's bed.

They sat there and let the silence fill the room. After a while Tony spoke. "So, has anyone found anything to indicate who did this?"

"Not yet." Gibbs answered. "Abby is working her butt off going over every inch of evidence and doing every possible test she can."

"So, she's being Abby." Tony clarified.

Gibbs nodded.

They heard a moaning from Charity. Her eyes slowly opened. "I need to quit waking up in the hospital." She muttered. "Really I just need to avoid coming here until the twins are born."

"I think that would be a good idea." Tony said.

Gibbs stayed a while longer and visited. After a couple of hours, he went home, making sure he had a couple of agents at the door.

_A couple days later..._

Tony and Charity were released from the hospital. Gibbs had picked them up and taken them to NCIS. When they arrived, Abby was waiting for them at Gibbs's desk. As soon as they stepped off the elevator, she jumped up and ran to pull first Charity into a hug and then Tony.

"I'm so glad you guys are alright!" She said as she hugged them.

Charity smiled. "Of course we are, Abby. I thought you had figured by now that I am incredibly hard to kill."

"Abs." Gibbs called, gesturing to the elvator. She got on andshe and Gibbs headed to her lab.

"What's up Gibbs?" She asked.

"You said that you'd found more on the SD card that indicated that whoever this is, is definately after Charity." Gibbs said.

"Oh yeah." Abby said. "I just got so excoted about seeing Tony and Charity, that I forgot."

They stepped off the elevator, and headed into the lab. Abby walked over to her computer and pulled up some pictures. "This guy is after Charity and has been for a while. This picture is from when she was still in Iraq." Abby said, pulling up a picture of Charity dressed in sand colored clothes, wearing protective gear and carrying her gun. She was on patrol.

"If he's been after her for so long, why didn't he strije until now?" Gibbs wondered out loud.

"Well, he did lose her for a while." Abby said. She clicked through a few more photos of Charity in Iraq. Then they suddenly skipped to just a few weeks ago when Charity was dress shopping.

"I see." Gibbs said.

"Shouldn't we tell Charity?" Abby asked.

"No." Gibbs answered.

"Why not?" Abby asked.

Gibbs sighed. "She almost miscarried." Gibbs replied. "We have to keep her from getting stressed."

"Oh my gosh! I had no idea." Abby said.

"And you still don't." Gibbs told her. "Charity doesn't want anyone to know. She doesn't want everyone walking on eggshells around her."

Abby nodded. "Okay, but why is she being so stubborn?"

"Do you have anything else, Abs?" Gibbs asked, gesturing to her computer.

"Nothing, Gibbs." Abby answered.

"Okay, just keep working. Try checking out Charity's car." Gibbs suggested. Then he kissed Abby pn the cheek and left.

Gibbs headed back up to the squadroom where Charity was setting in Tony's lap at his desk. "Baby girl." Gibbs said.

"Yes, Daddy?" She asked looking up.

"Can you think of any enemies you might have that could have followed you in Iraq?" Gibbs asked, knowing he would have no choice but to ask her.

A perplexed espression crossed Charity's face. "No." She answered. "I never had a problem with anyone else in my unit."

"Well, that was helpful." Gibbs muttered.

"So, whoever did this, has been following me since Iraq?" Charity asked.

"Yes, but don't worry about anything." Gibbs answered.

Charity looked at her father and then she looked at Tony. Both men were watching her intently. Charity reached for her crutches and pulled herself up. "I am not going to freak out or anything so you two stop looking at me like that."

"Where are you going?" Tony asked, starting to get up to follow her.

"To go see Lola." She answered. "I have to see what those bastards did to her."

"Whose Lola?" Ziva asked.

"My car." Charity answered.

"I thought only men named their cars?" Ziva pondered.

"Usually, but I was raised by a single father." Charity replied. Then she headed for the elevator. Gibbs and Tony followed her, both worried about her reaction. Ziva decided to follow her as well, curious as to the hold cars seemed to have on people.

They got off the elevator and Charity instantly caught sight of her car. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Abby was collecting evidence from the car. "Lola!" Charity cried. "What have they done to you!"

"I don't get it." Ziva said. "It's just a car."

Charity turned to Ziva. "Lola was not just a car." Charity corrected. "She was my first car. Pappy Jack saved her from a scrap yard and we spent three summers rebuilding her from the engine up."

Ziva threw her hands up. "Sorry."

"I need a moment of silence." Charity said, looking back at her car.

Tony watched the whole thing, his mind split between two thoughts: making sure Charity was alright and mourning the loss of the car as Charity was. After Charity's moment was up she took in a deep calming breath. She then turned to her father. "Daddy, nail this bastard."

"Oh, don't worry baby girl, we will get him." Gibbs said.

"Wait, a sec, here." Tony interrupted.

"What?" Charity asked.

"This guy shoots me and you and then you get upset about your car?" Tony asked, his voice teasing.

Charity grinned. "You know I love you."

Tony's teasing had lightened the mood. It was something he was really good at and one of the many reasons Charity loved him. Everything could be falling all to pieces and Tony could still manage to make Charity laugh. When he made her laugh, Charity felt like everything was going to be alright.

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up. It was hard for me to figure out how to get this from the last chapter to the next. i hope you guys enjoy.**


	74. Chapter 74

Hours later, Abby had to announce that she had nothing. "I've failed." She said, her usual perkiness gone.

Tony, Charity, and Gibbs were all in the lab with her when she made the announcement. "You haven't failed, Abby." Charity said.

Before anyone else could say anything, Ziva was entering the room. "Director Vance wants you in his office, now." She said, gesturing to Gibbs, Tony, and Charity.

The group headed out of the lab and went to Vance's office. In the office stood a Marine in his service uniform. He turned as Vance stood up. "I'm sure you remember Major Larson." Vance said.

Charity lifted her hand and gave the Major a salute. "Hello Corporal." He greeted.

"Major." She replied.

Larson turned to Gibbs. "Good to see you Gunny."

"You, too." Gibbs replied, shaking the Major's hand.

After a few more minutes, Vance spoke up. "Major Larson has some information that might be helpful to who might be after you, Charity." Vance said.

Charity looked at her CO, the pieces suddenly clicking into her mind. "This doesn't have anything to do with Operation Black Star does it?"

"I'm afraid it does." The Major replied. Then he turned to Vance. "Is this room secure?"

"Yes." Vance answered. He then gestured for everyone to have a seat.

"What is Operation Black Star?" Gibbs inquired as soon as everyone had set down.

"One of several covert missions, I was involved in." Charity answered.

"Black Star was a a mission to bring down a known terrorist cell." Larson said. "Charity and the four others from the mission we had told you about, were the group that infiltrated the camp."

"How?" Gibbs asked.

"Would you like to field this one Corporal?" The major asked.

Charity nodded. "We went in in disguise, letting them think we were sold to them." Charity answered.

"When they got in, they took the terroist cell down." Major Larson finished.

Charity then turned to her CO. "How could this have anything to do with Black Star?" she asked, not giving her father or her husband the chance to inquire more about the details of the mission. "I thought we took care of all of them."

"You Marines did." Major Larson answered. "But we believe that someone who was close to one of the members, is seeking revenge. Since you were the leader of the mission, they want you."

"Not to mention the only one left." Charity muttered.

_A few hours later..._

Tony and Charity were exiting Vance's office, while Gibbs, Major Larson, and Vance had a private chat. "I'm sorry, Tony." Charity said, quietly, before they could enter the squadroom.

"For what?" Tony asked her.

"For getting you involved in all this. If we weren't..."

Tony put a finger on her lips to shush her. "Don't you even finish that sentence." He told her. "I love you."

Charity smiled at him. "I don't know what I would do without you."

Tony bent and kissed Charity, gently on the cheek. "I suppose though, that you can't tell me much about Black Star?"

"Nope." Charity answered. "There's a lot of things that I did over there that I'm not allowed to talk about and a lot I'd like to forget."

Tony wrapped his good arm around Charity and pulled her close. He kissed the top of her head. "We'll get through this."

**A/N: I would like to clarify that Charity was not more upset about her car than she was about Tony. It's just that when they were in the cabin, she had no time to freak out because she had to help Tony and Tony knows that. I hope you guys are enjoying.**


	75. Chapter 75

Gibbs, Vance, and Larson had all decided that the best way to catch the guy who was after Charity, was to lure him out. They had decided to get an agent who was similar in size and hair color to Charity, and have her go into Tony and Charity's house.

Charity really hated putting someone else in danger, but she also knew that for the health and safety of her unborn twins, she had to. Charity sat safely in MTAC, next to Tony and Vance was in front. "I hate this." Charity muttered.

Tony looked over at his wife. "You can take the woman out of the Marines, but you can't take the Marine out of the woman." He said with a grin.

Charity glared at him playfully. "I'm used to being right there. I'm not used to setting on the sidelines. I don't like it."

"You are your father's daughter." Tony told her.

"You're just now figuring that out?"

"I'm a slow learner."

"Alright, we've got movement outside of the house." came Gibbs's voice over the link.

Tony and Charity turned their attention to the screen. They watched as a small group of people made their way to surround the house. As Charity watched the screem, she felt that it seemed familiar, eerily so.

The men busted down the door and entered the house. Soon, Gibbs and the team of agents he had with him, followed the guys into the house. Charity watched as a fight broke out. It however seemed too easy as the NCIS agents overpowered the intruders and took them into custody.

The leader of the group came into view. Gibbs had him and turned him so that his face would show up on the screen in MTAC. He was definitely a native of Iraq. Charity saw the familiar scar under his left eye, it was jagged and long. Charity knew that scar. She knew that face. She could never forget that face.

"Charity?" Tony said, reaching his hand over to hers. "Are you alright?"

"Fine." Charity answered.

"You recognize him?" Tony asked.

"I'll never forget him." Charity said. "He's the bastard that captured and tortured me and the others. He's the one that teamed up with Moore."


	76. Chapter 76

The leader of the group, the man after Charity, sat in the interrogation room, cuffed down to his chair. Vance entered the room, Gibbs behind him. Charity was on the other side of the glass, Tony and Major Larson stood with her.

"Who are you?" Vance asked.

"My name is A'mal Botros." He answered.

"Why are you here?" Vance asked.

"To kill the bitch." He answered.

"Why?"

"Look in my pocket." He replied.

Vance nodded for Gibbs to check his pocket. Gibbs reached into the man's breast pocket and pulled out a picture. It was of a young boy, no more than the age of fifteen. "My boy. That bitch killed him." A'mal clarified.

Charity looked through the glass, stunned. Tears stung in her eyes. Gibbs and Vance exchanged looks and then walked out of the room, once again leaving A'mal alone. They entered the observation room. Vance gestured for the group to follow him to the conference room.

They all soon entered the conference room and took seats. "Charity, tell me why this guy thinks you killed his teenage son?" Vance asked as soon as they all sat down.

"I don't know." Charity answered, hanging her head.

"What do you mean you don't know Corporal?"

Charity looked up at Vance, tears falling down her face. "I don't know because I can't remember!" Charity shouted at him. "I remember seeing that boy's face! I remember going on that mission and he was there, but I don't remember what happened!"

Vance then looked to the Major. "Major?"

"When the Corporal and the other returned, they were all a little worse for the wear. Corporal Gibbs here, was being carried back by the others. She'd had a head injury."

"When I woke up, I had no memory of what happened during the mission." Charity finished for Major Larson. "I still can't remember." By the time Charity was finished, she was shaking.

Vance opened his mouth to speak and ask Charity another question. Tony put an arm protectively around his wife and then looked up at Vance. "That's enough, Director." Tony said. He then stood up and pulled Charity with him. Then they walked out of the room.

Vance watched, stunned. He then looked to Gibbs. "He's been taking lessons from you."

"He's doing what you would do." Gibbs replied. "He's protecting his wife." Then Gibbs stood and walked out of the room.

It was down to Vance and Larson. "With all due respect Director," Larson began, "some things are best left in the past, forgotten. You have a terrorist in custody, I believe that is all that matters here." He then stood and began to walk out the door.

"Major?" Vance said, stopping the major.

"Yes?"

"I understand why Gibbs and DiNozzo are being protective of Charity, but why are you?"

"We are Marines." The Major answered. "We look out for our own." Then he left.

_Tony and Charity..._

Tony and Charity were in the elevator. Tony had pulled Charity to him, holding her with his good arm. He kissed the top of her head. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Fine." Charity answered. "I just wish I could remember."

"Maybe there's a reason you forgot." Tony suggested.

Charity pulled back and looked up at her husband. "What do you mean?"

"Maybe some things are better left forgotten."

Charity shook her head. "Tony, a young kid died, and I was there. I could tell how, but I can't remember. That's something that I can't let go."

"Even if it's good for your health?" Tony asked.

Charity looked at Tony. "It's worse for me not knowing." Charity said. "I mean, what if I did kill this kid? I have to remember, Tony. I have to remember."

"I can tell you, I know you didn't kill this kid." Tony told her.

"I could have." Charity countered. "While I was over there, I did a lot of things, Tony. Things that should have me in a straight jacket."

Tony placed a finger over Charity's lips. "I know, but I know you didn't kill this kid. If you think you really need to remember what happened, then we'll go see Abby and see if she can help."

Charity burried her face in Tony's chest. "You're too good to me. I love you."

"I love you, too."


	77. Chapter 77

Tony and Charity went down to Abby's lab. They found Abby and McGee doing some computer work. Abby turned and looked up. She saw that Charity looked very upset. "Oh my gosh! Are you alright? What's wrong?" Abby asked, jumping up and hugging Charity.

"This guy thinks I killed his teenaged son." Charity answered. "I...I can't remember what happened on that mission. I remember what I was supposed to be doing on the mission and I remember seeing the kid's face before, but I can't remember what happened during the mission. I can't remember if what he says is true."

"Well, I know it's not." Abby replied. "You could never kill a kid."

"Abby, the mission was to take out this terrorist cell, if I thought he was a part of it, I could have." Charity answered. "I have to know if I did. I have to remember."

"And you want me to help you?" Abby asked.

Charity nodded. "Please? It's eating me up not knowing."

Abby thought for a moment. She let out a sigh and then answered Charity. "Alright, I'll help you."

A few minutes later, Abby was kicking McGee out of her lab and Charity was setting down and leaning back. Tony was setting beside her, wishing Charity didn't want to try to remember. He was scared what might happen if she did. He was afraid of her stress level going up and hurting herself and losing the twins, but he could tell she needed this.

Abby lowered the lights in the lab and had some candles lit and some soft relaxing music playing. "Alright, Charity close your eyes and relax." Abby began. she worked on getting Charity into a trace like state. Once she had Charity relaxed enough, Abby began the rest of it. "Charity let your mind wander back through time. It's five years ago, you're in Iraq, you and four of your closest friends are on a mission to infiltrate and take down a terrorist cell."

"You've just made it into their compound, disguised. You've made it successfully. Now think about what happened next." Abby said, her voice soothing.

"I don't know." Charity said. "All I can see if blackness."

"Alright, that blackness is your mental block. Imagine that lifting away to reveal to you what happened." Abby guided.

Charity imagined the blackness lifting away. It finally went away. "It's gone." Charity said.

"Alright, now what do you see?" Abby asked.

"I see the young boy's face, I hear a gun shot, now I see an explosion, and then nothing." Charity answered. "It's all coming in flashes."

Abby worked with Charity for the next hour, trying to help her see more than just the flashes, but it wasn't working. Charity's mental block was too strong. Abby had to give up. Abby brought Charity out of the trace state.

Charity gave Abby a hug. "Thank you for trying."

Tony and Charity left the lab. They deicded to head home. It had been a long day and Tony thought it was a good idea to get Charity home and resting. They arrived home and got into their pjs. They climbed into bed and Charity snuggled up to Tony.

Tony kissed the top of Charity's head. "I love you." He told her.

"I love you, too." She replied.

Tony quickly fell asleep, snoring gently. It took Charity a couple of hours, but she fell into a fitfull restless sleep. She woke up around five in the morning, cold sweat running down her body, panting and gasping for air, she sprung up into a sitting position like a poptart from a toaster.

Tony opened his eyes and sat up beside his wife. He put an arm around her and held her close. "Are you alright?" He asked, concerned.

"I remember, Tony." She said. "I remember." She then started to get out of bed and pull some clothes on.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I have to go back to NCIS." Charity said. "I have to talk to him."

"Who?" Tony asked.

"A'mal." Charity answered. "He has to know the truth about what happened to his son."

"What if he doesn't believe you?" Tony asked.

"He will." Charity answered.

"How do you know?"

"My gut."


	78. Chapter 78

Tony and Charity quickly arrived at NCIS. To no one's surprise, Gibbs had never left and was still there. He was standing in the observation room, looking at the man who had tried to kill his daughter. When Tony and Charity had entered the room, Gibbs turned to look at them.

"Baby girl, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"I remembered, Daddy." Charity answered. "I have to talk to him. He has to know what really happened to his son."

"What if he doesn't believe you?" Gibbs asked.

"He will. I know he will." Charity answered.

Gibbs looked into his daughter's blue eyes, so much like his own. He could see that she wasn't going to give up. He let out a sigh and agreed to let her go in and talk to him. Gibbs of course, went in with her.

Gibbs entered the room and Charity came in after him. A'mal looked up at Charity. If looks could kill, Charity would have been dead at that moment. "You bitch! You walk in here and taunt me!"

Charity looked at him. "As you can see, I'm not walking. I'm hobbling! I'm on crutches again because of you." She said, going to take a seat next to her father.

"You were supposed to die in that explosion!" A'mal told her. "You were supposed to die! Die like my son! He was only fifteen!"

"I didn't kill your son." Charity told him calmly. "Neither did my team."

"You lie!" A'mal accused."

Charity met A'mal's angry gaze. "I did not kill you son. Neither did my team." Charity repeated calmly.

A'mal looked at her surprised. "If you American bitches didn't kill him then who did?"

Charity then began to tell the tale of what happened.

_Flashback..._

_ Charity and her team had arrived at the terrorist compund. They were dressed in brightly colored and beaded burkas. As per the rules, only their eyes were visible. The men thought they had bought some American women, kidnapped from vacations around the world, for their personal use. Naturally, they were wrong. They had no idea that standing before them were five strong Marines, who were there to bring them down._

_ The women were led into a room and then left alone. After a few minutes, a small group of men entered the room. They walked over and stood directly in front of the women. The one who appeared to be the leader stood directly in front of Charity._

_ He removed the veil she was wearing and looked her over. "She will do." He said. He then grabbed her by her chin and brought her face inches from his._

_ Charity stared up at him defiantly. Then she kicked him. The other girls threw off their veils. A fight broke out, the women over powering the men. They took the men down. Unfortunately, it was only a distraction._

_ Those men weren't the real ones in charge and they were disposable to whoever really was. Next a young fifteen-year-old kid entered the room. He had a bomb strapped to his chest. He looked scared._

_ "Help me." He pleaded in Arabic._

_ Charity turned to one of her team. "Lily, can you defuse the bomb?" She asked._

_ "I think so." She answered._

_ Charity turned to the young man. "Hold on. We are going to help you."_

_ The young man nodded. Just before Lily could defuse the bomb, a man came out behind the door. He shot the young man. The bomb had a dead man switch. Lily grabbed Charity and threw her out of the way, covering Charity's body with her own, just as the bomb went off._

_ Charity hit her head on something sharp and then she blacked out._

_Present..._

"I didn't kill your son. He had been used by those men to try and take my team out." Charity said. "We tried to save your son."

A'mal was crying. "My boy." He said.

In that moment, watching a father grieve for his son, Charity couldn't hate the man like she had for so long. She couldn't hate him for what he had done to her and her team. She felt sorry for him. He had lost someone important to him. He was in pain and suffering. She could empathize with that. She had lost so many people who were important to her. Even though four of those people had been taken by the man man in front of her, she couldn't hate him. He was another human being in pain.

"I'm sorry." Charity told him. "I wish we could have saved him."

"I wish this also." A'mal said. Then he looked at Gibbs. "Take me to your prison. I have no reason to live without my son."

Gibbs nodded, knowing that feeling of loss and desolation all too well. Two agents entered the room and took A'mal out. It seemed that everything at NCIS was quiet at that moment, as if everything had stopped to pay a moment of silence, of respect, to all those lives that had been lost. The lives of Shannon, Kelly, A'mal's son, Charity's four friends, and all those who had died in the war.


	79. Chapter 79

A few weeks passed and everything went back to normal. Charity was able to get around without her crutches, but she had a slight limp. She was now five months pregnant and was setting in the doctor's office, Tony sat beside her. They were going to have an ultrasound and hopefully find out the sex of the twins.

Tony leaned over and kissed Charity on the cheek. "I love you." He told her.

"I love you, too." Charity replied.

Tony bent down and pressed his lips to Charity's stomache, which was growing quite large with new life. Then he began to speak to the twins. "Now, you two had better be in position. We want to see what gender you are, so we can pick out your names." Tony said.

Charity giggled. "What makes you think they will listen to you?" Charity asked.

"Well, I'm hoping they will have that disapline that their mother has from being a Marine." Tony replied.

"Or they could be just like their father and not listen to orders." Charity countered.

Tony grinned at his wife. "Well, I guess we will find out."

Just then the doctor came in the room. "How are you feeling today, Mrs. DiNozzo?" She asked.

"Fine." Charity answered. "A little anxious."

"As are all mothers." The doctor replied. "Well, we'll get this started then. Now lift your shirt to show your belly."

Charity lifted her shirt and bared her stomache. The doctor squirted some jelly on her stomache. "That is cold." Charity said.

"Sorry, I forgot to warn you." The doctor replied. Then she turned on the machine and grabbed the little wand off of it. She then began to move it around, looking for the twins. She stopped moving the wand and pointed to the screen. "There they are." She said.

Tony and Charity looked at the screen. Tony began to look very closely then he pointed. "Is that what I think it is?" He asked, sounding excited.

_An hour later at NCIS..._

"Do you think they will have found out?" Ziva asked, from her desk.

"I sure hope so. I'd like to know who won the pot." McGee said. "I think they'll both be girls."

"That would be funny, Tony with two little girls." Ziva said.

"Could you imagine what trouble two girls would put Tony through?"

"Yes, they would pay him back for every mean thing he's ever done in his life." Ziva agreed.

Gibbs entered the room. "Have they come back yet?" Gibbs asked.

"Not yet." Ziva answered.

"Anxious to find out about your grandkids boss?" McGee asked.

Gibbs just looked at McGee. Then the elevator doors opened and Abby and Duckie stepped off. "Are they here yet?" Abby asked, excitedly.

"Not yet." Gibbs answered.

"Oh, I wish they would hurry up." Abby said. "I wanna find out if I'm having nieces or nephews or one of each."

Just then the elevator doors opened and Tony and Charity stepped off. Everyone turned and looked at them expectantly. Charity turned to Tony. "You ever get the feeling you're in a fish bowl?" She asked.

"You mean with everyone watching you and expecting you to do something cool?" Tony replied.

"Yeah."

"Oh will you stop it? The suspence is killing me!" Abby said.

"What suspence?" Charity asked, a smirk on her face.

"Oh, did you find out the sex of the twins or not?" Duckie asked, his voice seeming agitated.

"You're in on the pool, aren't you Duckie?" Charity asked.

"Well, yes." He answered.

Charity turned to Tony, a grin on her face. "You want to tell them or should I?"

Tony grinned back. His grin was even bigger than Charity's.

"Okay, Tony why are you grinning like an idiot?" Ziva asked.

Charity turned to Ziva. "Ziva, this, " Charity began, grabbing Tony's chin and turning his face to Ziva, "is the face of a man who found out he got the stem on the apple not once but twice."

Gibbs was grinning at Charity's remark. Abby looked excited. McGee looked disappointed. Duckie looked extra excited and Ziva just looked confused. "What?"

"They're both boys." Charity answered.

Abby pulled Charity into a hug. "Oh, I'm so happy for you guys!" She broke the hug and then hugged Tony.

Gibbs walked over and hugged his daughter. "About time we got some boys in this family." He said, his voice teasing.

"Got your fill of tea parties already?" Charity teased back.

"Nah, it wasn't the tea parties." Gibbs answered. "It was those difficult teen years."

"So, you guys have names for them yet?" Abby asked.

"Not yet." Charity replied.

"Well, you two need to hurry it up. Chony and Dibbs need real names." Abby chided.

Gibbs looked at his daughter and son-in-law. "You two should come by the house tonight." He told them, changing the subject. "I have something for you."


	80. Chapter 80

After Tony got off of work, he headed home to change and pick up his wife. When he arrived home, Tony found Charity in their bedroom wrapped in a towel and looking disdainfully at the items in her half of the closet.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, coming up behind her.

"Yes." Charity answered. "Abby took me shopping for maternity clothes today, and I bought some."

"I'm not following you." Tony said.

"They're all way too frilly." Charity told Tony. "All kinds of ruffles and what not."

"And you don't like the frills?"

"Nope." Charity answered.

"Then why did you buy the clothes?"

"Because then I would have to run around naked."

"And there's a problem with you running around naked?" Tony asked. "I don't see a problem with you being naked."

"Oh yes, have the fat cow running around naked."

"You are not a fat cow." Tony told his wife.

"Then what am I?" Charity asked.

Tony placed his hands on either side of her face and pulled it just inches from his own. "You are my wife. The most beautiful woman in the world. The mother of my unborn sons and the love of my life" Tony answered. " And if you'd like, I rip that towel off your body and lay you down on that bed and show you just how beautiful I know you are." Tony added the last part with a devilish grin on his face.

Charity grinned back at her husband. "We have to go to Dad's."

"We can be late." Tony told her, pulling her in for a kiss. As he kissed her, Tony slid his hands down and unwrapped the towel from around Charity. He wound his arms around her and turned her towards the bed. He gently laid her back on the bed and covered her in kisses.

An hour later, Tony was pulling on a pair of jeans and a tshirt. Charity pulled on a pair of maternity jeans and a pink top. It was tight around the bust and flowed over her swollen tummy, with a bow on it. She stood in front of the mirror and glared at her reflection.

"You really don't like that top, do you?" Tony asked.

"No." Charity answered. "And there weren't any just plain tshirts or anything like that. No, they all had to be frilly or have some funny little saying like _sweet pea_ with an arrow pointing at my belly. I mean seriously, like people can't tell I'm pregnant. We have to put a big sign on my belly."

Tony had to restrain his laughter at his wife's rant. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I think you look beautiful." He then kissed her on the cheek.

Charity let out an exasperated sigh. "Alright, let's go." She said.

Tony and Charity headed out and hopped in the car and headed over to Gibbs's house. When they arrived, Gibbs was setting on the couch, a pizza box in front of him. He stood up and walked over to his daughter and pulled her in for a hug. "You look cute." He said.

Charity looked up at her father. "Don't." She said, her eyes narrowed and her finger pointing in his face.

Gibbs smirked. "You guys hungry? I got extra cheese, pepperoni, and sausage."

"Sounds good to me, boss." Tony said.

"You have any peanut butter, Dad?" Charity asked.

"Yes, it's in the kitchen." Gibbs answered, one brow raised in confusion.

Charity walked into the kitchen and grabbed the jar of peanut butter from the cabinet and then grabbed out a spoon. She walked back to the living room and sat down, grabbing a slice of pizza. She opened the jar of peanut butter and spooned a dollop onto her pizza.

"That seriously, doesn't really look good." Tony said.

"Hey, it's called a craving." Charity said. "Besides, don't knock it till you try it. I mean you're the one who got me to try sausage on my pizza."

"Yes, but that's a normal pizza topping."

"Your point?" Charity asked.

Tony just laughed and shook his head. The group ate their pizza in silence. After they had finished eating, Gibbs stood up. "Alright, it's time for your surprise." He said.

Tony stood and then helped Charity stand up. They followed Gibbs down to the basement. When they got down the steps, they saw two items of equal size under tarps. Gibbs walked over and pulled the tarps off to reveal two completely finished, wooden cribs.

"Oh, Daddy!" Charity said, unable to hold in her excitement. "They're amazing!"

Gibbs smiled at his daughter. "I had to do something special for my grandsons."

Charity hugged her father. "I love them, Daddy."

Gibbs kissed Charity's forehead. "I'll load them up in the truck and bring them over tomorrow."


	81. Chapter 81

A couple weeks later, the team was called out to investigate the murder of a young petty officer. The team arrived at the crime scene. Ziva was snapping pictures, Tony was working a crime scene sketch, Gibbs was talking with Duckie, and McGee was collecting evidence.

"T.O.D. Duck?" Gibbs asked.

Duckie pulled the thermometer out of the body and looked at it. "I'd have to say roughly between four and five hours ago." He answered. "From his bruised and bloodied appearance, I would say that our Petty Officer did not die peacefully."

The team finished their work at the scene and headed back to NCIS. McGee sat at his desk going through the petty officer's phone and email records. Ziva was working on the petty officer's background. Tony and Gibbs had gone to interview the young man's family.

As Ziva and McGee sat at their desks, each doing their part of the case, the elevator doors parted and Abby and Charity stepped off together. Ziva looked up. Charity was wearing a pair of jeans and a pastel blue top that had ruffles and a bow. "Hello Charity. That's a lovely top you're wearing." Ziva commented.

"No, it's not." Charity said. "I hate these maternity clothes."

"But you look adorable." Ziva protested.

"And that is the problem." Charity replied. "I haven't done the cute and adorable thing since I was four. After that, I gave up the cute little girl thing."

"Yeah, that's when you went all tom boy." Abby said.

"Tom boy?" Ziva questioned.

"A girl who prefers to do things that boys do. Some even go as far as wearing boys' clothes." Charity answered.

"So, what brings you here, Charity?" Ziva asked.

"Tony and I were supposed to have lunch together." Charity answered. "Where is he?"

"He and your father are out doing some work on a case." Ziva answered.

Charity nodded. "I should have known."

"You can always set down and wait for him." Ziva suggested.

"I might go home, but I do need to set down for a minute." Charity said, walking over to Tony's desk and taking a seat.

Abby was getting ready to say something, Gibbs entered the room. He looked over at Charity. "What are you doing here, baby girl?" He asked.

"Well, Tony and I were supposed to have lunch." Charity answered. "Where is that husband of mine?"

"He'll be here in a few minutes." Gibbs answered.

Charity nodded. Before she could open her mouth to speak, the elevator doors opened and Fornell entered the room. He walked over to Gibbs. "Long time no see Tobias." Gibbs said.

"Hey Forny." Charity greeted from her place at Tony's desk.

Fornell looked over at her and then looked at Gibbs and then back at Charity. "I told you not to call me that."

"You just love to take away all my fun." Charity replied.

Fornell turned back to Gibbs. "When did your smart-mouthed daughter get back."

"A while ago." Gibbs answered.

Charity slowly pulled herself up from the chair. "Well, I think I'd better get going." She said.

Fornell took in Charity's appearance. "When did you get pregnant?"

"A few months ago." Charity answered.

Just then Tony came up after taking the stairs. He saw his wife and walked over to her. "Hey honey." He greeted and pulled her in for a kiss.

Fornel watched the scene perplexed. Then he looked at Gibbs. "What the hell happened?" He asked.

"They got married and are having twin boys." Gibbs answered.

"I swear Gibbs, you never tell me anything. How could you let this happen?"

Gibbs shrugged. "Hey, I get to be a grandpa." Gibbs replied.

"Next time something like this happens, the least you could do is send me a card or letter." Fornell told Gibbs.

"Tobias, I'm a very busy man. I mean my daughter returned from Iraq, wounded, then she got together with DiNozzo. The next thing I know, I'm gonna be a grandpa and they're getting married." Gibbs replied.

Charity watched her father and Fornell with a smile on her face. She then turned to Tony. "You know, when I was younger, the way they argue, I used to think Fornell was one of my step mothers."

Fornell turned to Charity. "There's that smart mouth again. You are just like your father."

"You're not the first of my step mothers to tell me that." Charity couldn't help but say. She then turned to Tony. "Well, I'm going to go home. I'll see you later." She told him, kissing his cheek. Then she left.

"Tobias, what are you doing here?" Gibbs asked.

"Our cases have crossed." Fornell answered. "Your petty officer was helping us with one of our investogations."


	82. Chapter 82

Fornell and Gibbs hopped on the elevator and headed down to see Duckie and find out what he had. Fornell reached over and pushed the button and the elevator stopped. "What, Tobias?"

"Charity and DiNozzo." Fornell answered. "When sis they become a couple? I mean the last I knew she was dating my nephew."

"Tobias, that was three years ago and they only went out on two dates." Gibbs replied.

"Well, what happened?" Fornell asked. "Jamie is a good kid. He's a dentist and has his own office. He coulda made her happy and taken care of her."

"Tobias, I don't know." Gibbs answered. "I may be very close to my daughter, but she doesn't tell me about her love life. You'd have to talk to Abby. She tells Abby everything." Gibbs then reached over and pushed the button and the elevator started up again.

Fornell reached over and pushed the button to stop the elevator. "Seriously though, when'd Charity start seeing DiNozzo?"

"A while ago." Gibbs answered. "Now, why don't we stop discussing the children and discuss this case. Tell me what my Petty Officer was helping you do."

"You always want to talk about the case." Fornell complained. "Fine, but once this is over, we are talking about this."

Gibbs had to keep from rolling his eyes. "You are worse than any of my exwives." Gibbs told him. "No wonder Charity got confused when she was little. Now the case, Tobias."

"He was helping us keep an eye on an Anarchist group." Fornell answered. "This group has been on our radar for quite some time. They started out as just a small gang, but they started doing small things. They became a threat, so we needed someone on the inside to monitor them, but they would easily tell if we sent in an agent."

"So you used the Petty Officer." Gibbs said.

"He was happy to serve his country by helping the FBI." Fornell replied. "He volunteered for it."

Gibbs nodded. "You think they found him out?"

"Possibly." Fornell answered. "Just depends on how her died."

"What do you mean?"

"This group, has brutally murdered some key political players. You remember the senator who died last month? They did it."

"So the story he died of a heart attack is a lie." Gibbs stated.

"Yes."

"How did he really die?"

"He was beaten, stabbed, and finally shot, three times."

Gibbs pushed the button and the elevator began to descend again. They soon arrived at autopsy. Duckie looked up from his work. "Hello Jethro. Agent Fornell, what a surprise."

"Duck, how'd our Petty Officer die?"

"He was beaten." Duckie answered. "Then stabbed several times, before they finally shot him three times."

"Sounds like we know who did it." Gibbs said, looking at Fornell.

"Yes, now we have to try and find a way to get these guys."

**A/N: I hope you guys are enjoying this. I'm having a hard time naming the twins, so I thought I'd see what ideas you guys had. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks for your reviews guys.**


	83. Chapter 83

Fornell and Gibbs had worked out a way to lure the anarchist group out and bust them. The group was in the market for a few guns. McGee and Abby posed as online arms dealers.

After the exchange of a few emails, McGee called Gibbs. "Alright, boss, he wants to set up a meeting."

"Good. We'll use the warehouse." Gibbs stated. "Set it up for for tonight."

"On it, boss." McGee said.

McGee quickly set up the meeting for around seven that night. They had about five hours. The team headed to the warehouse and set everything up. while they set everything up, Tony pulled out his cell phone and dialed Charity's number.

"Hello handsome." She greeted.

"Hello gorgeous." He replied.

"Let me guess, you're gonna be home let?"

"How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess."

"You know me too well. I will be home tonight though. Just later."

"You know what this means though?"

"What's that?"

"We'll just have to go straight to bed." Charity answered, her voice playful. Tony could just picture her eyes lighting up.

"Oh, really now?" Tony asked. "I really love the way you think."

"I know you do. I'll see you tonight. I love you."

"I love you, too." Tony then hung up his phone and got back to work.

Soon everything was set up in the warehouse. Gibbs and Fornell stood inside the warehouse, posing as the arms dealers. Ziva sat in a truck outside, monitring the activity, and Tony and Ziva were with a team of FBI and NCIS agents, waiting to bust these guys.

The time soon arrived and the anarchists arrived. The leader of the group flanked by two lackies entered the room. "Mr. Reese and Mr. Green, I presume." The leader said, extending his right hand.

"And you must be Mr. Reid." Gibbs said.

"Yes. It is a pleasure to meet you both. Now shall we see the weapons?"

"Of course." Fornell answered. "This way."

Gibbs and Fornell led the three men back to some crates and opened them up. Inside were automatic weapons. Unknown to Mr. Reid, the firing pins had been removed from the guns.

Mr. Reid pulled out a gun and inspected it. Then he put it back down. "Well, this is a nasty turn of events, Agents Gibbs and Fornell."

McGee signalled Tony, Ziva, and the other agents to act. Just before the team was able to enter the warehouse, they encountered a group outside the warehouse. The leader and his two lackies hadn't come alone.

Mr. Reid reached into his jacket and pulled out a pistol. Gibbs and Fornell were reaching for theirs at the same time. The men drew their weapons and fired.

_Charity..._

Charity sat on the couch, watching an old western, Tony arrived home. "Hello, handsome." She greeted smiling. Once she got to him and saw his face, her smile disappeared. Tony had a few bruises and cuts on his face. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"I'm fine." Tony said. "But we do need to go to the hospital."

"Why? What happened?"

"Your dad." Tony said. "He's been shot."


	84. Chapter 84

Tony and Charity quickly arrived at the hospital. Ziva, McGee, and Fornell were in the waiting room. Ziva had a few small cuts, Fornell's arm was in a sling, and McGee was the only one who looked unharmed.

"Have the doctors said anything yet?" Tony asked.

"They won't tell us anything." Ziva answered. "Just because we aren't family."

Charity stood beside Tony, not saying a word. She was in shock. Tony looked at his wife. "Maybe you should sit down." He suggested.

Charity nodded numbly and allowed Tony to guide her into a chair. Just then Abby entered the room. She ran over to Charity and pulled her into a hug. "Oh my gosh. I came as soon as I could leave. Is Gibbs okay?" She asked.

"We don't know anything yet." Ziva answered. "Charity just got here and they wouldn't tell the rest of us anything because we aren't family."

Just then a doctor in scrubs came into the room. "I'm looking for a Charity DiNozzo."

Charity looked up from her seat. "That's me. How is my dad?" She asked, still feeling numb.

"We just finished the surgery. The bullets hit a couple of arteries, but we were able to repair them and stop the bleeding. Also, when he hit the ground, he hit his head, pretty hard. There is slight swelling in his brain. The next fourty-eight hours are crucial." The doctor told her.

"What exactly are you saying?" Charity asked, a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomache.

"If your father doesn't wake up in the next fourty-eight hours, he may not wake up at all." The doctor answered.

"When can we see him?" She asked.

"We are in the process of moving him into a room in the ICU. I'm afraid only family will be allowed to see him." The doctor said.

"They are family." Charity said.

"But..." The doctor began to protest.

"Everyone here is part of our family." Charity said.

"Alright, but only two at a time." The doctor agreed. "A nurse will come out and let you know when you can see your father." He then left.

A few minutes later, a nurse entered. "Charity DiNozzo?" She asked.

Charity looked up. "Can I see my dad?"

"Yes, this way." The nurse said.

Charity turned to Tony. "Come with me."

Tony stood up and took Charity's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. They followed the nurse back to the ICU. They soon entered Gibbs's room and the nurse left them alone.

Charity looked at her father. There he was, lying in the hospital gown, tubes and wires attached to him, hooking him up to machines that monitored his vitals signs. Charity slowly walked over to the chair beside the bed. She hesitantly reached out and held his hand. She wasn't sure what else to do, it was a shock for her to see her father like this.

Tony walked over to Charity and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure he's going to be fine." Tony said, trying to reassure his wife.

Charity nodded numbly. She wasn't sure what to do or say.

Tony knelt down next to Charity. "How about I go grab you something to eat or drink?" He asked.

"Some water." Charity answered.

"Okay, I'll be back." Tony told her. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and then walked out of the room, leaving Charity alone with her father. He had to walk through the waiting room to head to the cafeteria.

"How's he doing?" Abby asked.

"I don't really know." Tony answered. "He's hooked up to a bunch of monitors."

"How's Charity handling it?" Abby asked.

"I think she's in shock." Tony answered. "I think she needs some time alone with him."

The group nodded. "So, you guys need anything from the cafeteria? That's where I'm headed." Tony asked after a moment of silence.

_Charity..._

Charity sat in the chair, holding her father's limp hand. She looked at his face, which held a relaxed look. She really wasn't sure what to do or say, so she just sat there and watched him.

After a few minutes, Charity could no longer stand the silence. "Daddy." She said. "I...I don't know if you can hear me, but...but...please wake up." She pleaded. "I love you, Daddy."

After speaking, Charity looked at her father. she half expected him to just wake up and tell her he loved her and call her baby girl, but he didn't. "You doing okay?" Tony asked, coming in the door.

"Okay." Charity answered.

Tony walked over to her and handed her a bottle of cold water. Then he kissed her cheek. He found a folding chair and pulled it over next to her. He reached over and held her hand.

They sat in silence for a while and time passed. Neither was really sure just how much time had passed, when Charity's stomache growled. "Sounds like somebody's hungry." Tony said.

"Yeah." Charity answered.

"Let's go to the cafeteria and grab something to eat." Tony suggested.

"I...I don't know." Charity said. "What if he wakes up and I'm not here?"

"He knows you're here." Tony said. "Do you think he wants you starving yourself? He's probably trying to wake up just so he can tell you to take care of yourself and his grandsons."

"You're probably right." Charity replied, a weak smile appearing on her face.

"Now, let's go and get you something to eat. Plus, I'm sure the others would like to see him."

"Okay."

Tony and Charity got up and headed for the waiting room and let the others know that they could decide who could see Gibbs next. Then they headed for the cafeteria. Tony grabbed them some food and then they sat down at a table. They began to eat in silence.

Charity decided to speak up. "You know what I keep thinking?" Charity asked.

Tony looked up at his wife. "I wish I had the power to know what you were thinking. Of course ervy man wishes that about every woman he knows." Tony replied, making a joke to try to lighten the mood.

Charity gave him a weak smile. "I keep thinking that if...if Daddy doesn't wake up...that I'll be an orphan." Charity replied. "I'm a grown woman and all I can think is that I'll be an orphan."

Tony reached his hand over and held Charity's. "I'm sure you're dad is going to be fine." Tony told her. "He's the legandary Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

Charity leaned over and kissed Tony on the cheek. "I don't know what I'd do without you." She told him.

_Gibbs's room..._

Abby and Ziva entered Gibbs's hospital room. They looked at the man that they knew to be very strong, but yet here he looked so weak. "This is way too scarry." Abby said.

"Agreed, but I'm sure he'll be fine." Ziva said. "He's Gibbs."

"I hope so." Abby said.

The two women looked at each other and made a silent agreement. They both wanted time alone with Gibbs. Ziva left the room first, giving Abby time alone with Gibbs. Abby walked over to stand beside his bed. She looked down at him.

"Gibbs, you have to wake up." She said. "We...we all need you around here. You still have a lot to teach us...and we love you Gibbs." She bbent down and kissed his cheek. "You have to wake up." Then she left the room.

Ziva took her turn. "Gibbs, we...we need you to wake up." She said. "I need you to wake up. I know that things haven't always been that great between us, but I want to you to know that after my father...did what he did...and you and Tony and McGee came to rescue me...well...you've been like a father to me." She then reached her hand out and gave his a squeeze, then she left.

A few minutes later, McGee entered the room. He walked over and stood by Gibbs's bedside. "Hey boss." He said. "I...uhm...I don't know what to say. Just...wake up...okay boss. You're too important to the team." McGee nodded and then walked out of the room.

Fornell soon entered the room. "Jethro." He said, taking a seat. "You have to wake up. Your daughter hasn't shot off at the mouth like she usually does...and I think I kinda miss it. So you need to wake up and get her back to normal. Besides, you and I have more cases to work on together. More arguements to have. If you don't wake up, then I'd have to bring you back just to kill you myself. Of course, knowing you, you'd come back and haunt me. We can't have you bugging me for all eternity, so you had better wake up. Because I'm not putting up with your sorry ass for that long."

Fornell sat there for a while longer, letting the silence surround them. Then he stood and walked from the room. _It's going to be a long couple of nights._ He thought as he walked back to the waiting room.


	85. Chapter 85

Charity ended up spending the night sleeping on the couch in the hospital. Tony of course, stayed with her, sleeping in a reclining chair in the room. Charity fell asleep as soon as she was some what comfortable. Tony didn't fall asleep right away. He looked over at his wife and saw that she was sound asleep, snoring lightly.

Tony stood up from the chair and walked over to Gibbs's bedside. "Hey boss." He whispered, not wanting to disturb Charity. "You need to wake up, okay. Charity needs you...and I need you, too. You know that my father wasn't the greatest, so I need you to teach me how to be a good father to the twins. Besides, I think I might miss the head slaps. So...wake up, okay." Tony stood there for a few minutes, then he walked back over to the chair and laid down.

Tony woke up a few hours later, and found Charity already awake and by her father's bedside. Tony stood up and walked over to his wife. "You hungry?" He asked.

"I could eat." She answered.

"I'll go to the cafeteria and grab you something." Tony said. He bent down and gave his wife a kiss on the cheek. "Anything specific?"

"Just food." Charity answered.

"Okay, I'll be right back." He gave Charity another kiss and then left the room.

Charity sat alone with her father, holding his hand. She looked at him. "Daddy, you have to wake up. I need you. The twins need you. We all need you Daddy. You have to wake up."

She then sat there in the silence. She heard a throat, clearing in the doorway behind her. Charity turned around to see Ziva standing there. "May I come in?" She asked.

Charity nodded. Ziva walked in and sat down in the folding chair next to Charity. "It's always hard for a woman to see her father like this." Ziva said, gesturing to Gibbs.

"Yeah." Charity said. "He's always been the strongest man I know. No matter what, I've always been able to depend on him."

"A woman's father is always the strongest man she knows. We girls tend to place our father's on pedestals and think of them as invincible." Ziva agreed.

"Then something like this happens, and we realize they're only human. We realize that they aren't as indestructible as we thought."

"And it's hard for us to take." Ziva finished. She reached over and placed a comforting hand on Charity's. She gently squeezed Charity's hand.

Charity squeezed Ziva's hand back, as if to say thank you. The two women sat, not talking, but they didn't need to talk. They had shared something special in that moment, bonding as daughters of strong men.

Tony soon returned to the room, breakfast in hand. Ziva left the room. Charity ate the food Tony gave her, not really tasting it, just eating. After she finished eating, Charuty went back to holding her father's hand. "I love you, Daddy." She said. She then stretched over and kissed his cheek.

Charity jumped as she felt her dad squeeze her hand. She looked up at his face. His eyes fluttered slightly, but did not open. "Baby...girl." He whispered weakly.

Charity smiled and looked up at Tony. "He's gonna be fine."

"I told you he would." Tony replied. "He's Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

**A/N: I could never kill Gibbs off. I love him too much and he's just too important. I hope you guys are enjoying this. Please read and review.**


	86. Chapter 86

_Gibbs..._

Gibbs could hear everything around him. He could hear everything everyone was saying to him, but he just couldn't quite wake up all the way. The darkness consumed him and held him as its prisoner.

Gibbs wrestled with the darkness, trying to break free. At one point he was able to make a crack in it, just long enough to squeeze his daughter's hand and let her know he could hear her. Then the darkness quickly overpowered him again.

_I have to get to them. I have to see my baby girl. I have to return to my family._ Gibbs thought as he pushed at the darkness. He pushed with all his might, force, and strength. He wasn't sure how long ot took, but he could feel the darknes lifting, letting him go.

Gibbs's colbolt eyes slowly opened. The white light of the hospital almost blinding at first. He blinked to clear his vision. He searched the room. To his left, he saw Tony lying in a reclining chair, passed out. Gibbs turned his head to his right and saw a mess of red hair next to his side.

Gibbs slowly lifted his hand and placed it on top of Charity's head. Charity slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head. Gibbs was soon looking into the blue eyes, so much like his own, except these eyes were filled with unshed tears and untold joy.

"Daddy! You're awake!" She squealed jumping up and hugging her father.

Gibbs winced slightly as she jarred him. "Of course I am, baby girl." Gibbs replied.

"What's going on?" came the sleepy voice of DiNozzo. Then he looked at the sight. "Hey boss, good to see you awake. I'll go tell the nurse." Then he left the room. Not much longer after that, Tony returned the doctor with him.

The doctor shooed Tony and Charity out of the room, so that he could examine Gibbs. Tony and Charity went to the waiting room, where everyone still was. No one had left the hospital since Gibbs had been shot. "He's awake." Charity announced, relieved.

Everyone in the room seemed to let out a colllective sigh of relief. The mood in the room instantly changed. Before it had felt like they were at a funeral, but now everyone seemed to be in an almost celebratory mood.

A half hour passed before the doctor entered the waiting room. He informed the group that Gibbs would be just fine, but they were still going to be keeping him over for a few nights, just to be safe. He also said that it would be fine for everyone to be in the room for a visit. Then he left.

While the doctor had said that everyone could be in the room, everyone agreed to give Charity a few minutes alone with Gibbs. Charity entered the room and sat on the side of the bed. She once again threw her arms around her father and kissed his cheek. "I'm so glad you're awake, Daddy. I really thought I was going to lose you." She told him.

Gibbs smiled. He wrapped his arms around his daughter and held her close. He kissed the top of her head. "It's going to take more than a couple of bullets to take me away from you." Gibbs replied. "Besides, I have way too much to teach my grandsons."

"Just don't scare me like this again." Charity said, pulling back and dabbing at the tears that were falling down her face.

Gibbs reached a hand over and wiped at the tears. "Baby girl, I will do my best."

"Okay, if you do something like this again, I'll have to head slap you." She replied, a smile on her face.

"That's my girl." Gibbs replied, a smirk on his face.

"I think the rest of the family would like to see you. I'll go get them."

Gibbs smiled. "Alright."

Charity gave her father a kiss on the cheek and left to get the rest of the group. They all soon entered and filled the tiny room. Gibbs looked over each and every face that was in the room. Then he spoke. "If this ever happened again, you guys better not get all sappy and mushy again." He said, a playfulness in his eyes.

The room was then filled with, "I didn't get sappy." and "That's not what happened." and "No way, boss." Everyone had some way of denying that they had gotten mushy. They all visited for a while and then began to leave, until it was just Gibbs with Tony and Charity.

Gibbs looked at his daughter. "You need to go home and get some rest." He told her.

"But..." Charity began to protest.

"Listen here young Lady," Gibbs began, "You are going to go home with your husband. You are going to get a shower, get in your pajamas, and go to bed and get some sleep. You got that, or do I need to pull rank on you, Corporal?"

Charity smiled at her father. "Alright, I got it, Gunny."

"That's better." Gibbs said. "And don't think you have to be here first thing in the morning either. You sleep in as late as you need, I'll be here for a while."

"Alright." Charity agreed, reluctantly. She gave her father a kiss on the cheek. "I love you, Daddy."

Gibbs kissed Charity's cheek. "I love you, baby girl." He told her.

Tony and Charity left the room and hopped in the car to head home. On the car ride home Charity looked over at Tony. "Thank you." She said.

"For what?" Tony asked.

"For being there for me." Charity answered. "I don't know if I could have handled it without you."

Tony reached his hand over and grabbed Charity's. He brought her hand to his lips and gave it a kiss. "I'm always here for you." He told her. "Any time you need me."


	87. Chapter 87

A week later, Gibbs was released from the hospital. The doctor ordered him off of work for a couple of weeks, so Tony was in charge of the team until Gibbs got back. Charity of course, was going over to visit her father everyday.

On this particular day, they were sitting on the couch and wacthing an old western.  
"I'm gonna go get a beer." Gibbs said.

"I'll go get it for you, Daddy." Charity said. "You just set back and relax."

"Baby girl, I'm fine. I can go get my own beer. Besides you need to rest and take care of yourself and those boys." Gibbs replied, gesturing to her stomache.

"Daddy, I'm fine to take care of you." Charity said. "Besides, you hovered over me when I came back from Iraq, now I'm just returning the favor."

Gibbs smirked at his daughter. "Getting your revenge huh?"

Charity smirked back. "Something like that."

"Okay, go get my beer." Gibbs said with a sigh.

Charity leaned over and kissed his cheek. Then she pulled herself up, slowly, and headed for the kitchen. She opened thr fridge and grabbed a beer out for her father. While she was in the kitchen, Charity grabbed a snack for herself. When she returned to the living room, she set the items down on the table and then had to head to the bathroom.

When Charity finished her business in the bathroom, she headed back to the living room. She was surprised when she saw Fornell taking a seat in the chair next to the couch. "Hey Forny." She greeted him.

"You know, I miss the days when you were a little girl and called me Uncle Toby." He told her.

Charity grinned as she sat down next to her father on the couch. "Yea, but that was before I learned the fun in annoying people." Charity replied with a wink.

"So, Charity, I have to ask you something." Fornell said.

"What?" She asked.

"What's the story with you and DiNozzo? I just wanna know when this all happened and how." He told her. "And why you broke up with my nephew? I mean he's a perfectly nice kid."

Charity rolled her eyes. "As far as your nephew, we only went out on two dates, three years ago. I wasn't attracted to him."

"Why not? He has his uncle's good looks."

Charity had to stop herself from rolling her eyes again. "I'm not saying that he's not attractive, but I just wasn't attracted to him. That and there was no spark. Plus he didn't make me laugh."

"Okay, now what about you and DiNozzo? How'd that happen?"

"Well, Dad was driving me nuts hovering over me and I practically had to kick him out of the house and force him to work. He sent Tony to come check on me. I persuaded Tony to get me out of the house, we pranked Ziva and McGee. Then Dad had to go out of town for a while and Tony and I started spending a lot of time together and, well things just happened." Chartity explained.

"Don't forget the part where you two snuck around like teenagers, trying to keep me from finding out." Gibbs said.

"Yeah, there was that part." Charity said. Charity looked at her wrist, which had not a watch, but she pretended anyway. "Well, would you look at the time, it's a freckle passed a hair, I'd better get going." She pulled herself up and gave her father a kiss on the cheek. "Love you, Daddy."

"Love you, baby girl."

Charity then turned to Fornell. "Bye, Step Mother Forny." She said with a wave and then left.

Fornell looked at Gibbs. "She's a smartass, just like her father."

Gibbs smirked. He couldn't have asked for a better daughter and he loved her dearly. No matter what happened in life, Charity would always be his baby girl. He was also really glad that some of his personality had been passed on to her. Of course, it was even better when she aggravated Tobias.


	88. Chapter 88

Gibbs was soon back at work and everything was back to normal. Charity was seven months pregnant and she and Tony were once again setting in the doctor's office. Today they were going to have a 3D ultrasound.

The doctor knocked on the door before entering the door. She smiled at them. "Are you guys ready to see your boys?" She asked.

"Yes." Charity answered.

The doctor got everything set up and when Charity lifted her shirt, she squirted the jelly on it and then began to move the wand around Charity's abdomin. After a few minutes she stopped and pointed to the screen. "There they are." She said.

Tony and Charity looked at the screen. They could actually see the boy's faces. They could see them move and change the expressions on their faces. It appeared that they were going to be identical twins. "They have your nose." Charity told Tony.

Tony looked at the screen and smiled. "It looks like they have your mouth."

"Let's hope that as they grow up their mouths aren't as smart as mine." Charity replied.

After a while, the appointment was over and Tony and Charity were heading to NCIS. Abby was planning a surprise baby shower for Charity. Tony knew about it and it was his job to get her to the lab, where Abby, Ziva, and a few of Charity's friends were waiting.

When they arrived, Charity was excited to show her father the pictures from the ultrasound. Gibbs looked up as they stepped off the elevator. "So, how'd it go?" He asked.

"Really good." Tony answered.

"We could actually see their faces." Charity told her father. She then pulled the pictures from her pocket and showed them to her father.

Gibbs looked at the pictures. He smiled, a genuine smile. "They look good." He said. "Healthy."

"Yup." Charity replied. "And I'd have to say pretty adorable. Well, I'd better go show Abby the pictures. She'll be so excited." Charity gave her father a kiss on the cheek and then kissed Tony, before heading to see Abby.

Tony walked over to his desk and lifted the phone. He dialed Abby's extension. She answered quickly. "Hello?"

"She's on her way." Tony replied.

"Alright, thank you Tony." Abby said and then hung up the phone.

The elevator desended and soon the doors were opening. Charity stepped off and headed to Abby's lab. She opened the door and walked in. "Surprise!" a group of women chorused.

Charity looked around the room. Abby, Ziva, and a few of her friends were all around the room which was decorated in pastel blue and green streamers and ballons that read _Twin Boys!_ Charity grinned and looked at everyone. "This is so awesome of you guys." She said.

"Let's get this baby shower started!" Abby said.

The women then started playing some games. One of the games was everyone had a clothes pin attached to their shirts and whenever they said the word _baby_, they lost their clothes pin to whoever heard them say it. Then whoever had the most at the end won the game.

They played a few games and then it was time for Charity to open presents. Abby had Charity set in a chair in the center of the room. She then handed her bags or boxes to open. Charity opened several things and enjoyed looking through things. She opened diapers, wipes, clothes, baby monitors, even a couple of car seats and high chairs. There were also gift cards.

Abby handed Charity a bag. Charity looked at it, it was from Abby and Ziva and was the last gift to be opened. Charity pulled out the tissue paper and pulled out two onsies. They were a mint green. One had _Dibbs_ on it and the other had _Chony_ on it. "I love it." Charity said. "Now, let's see if they'll fit." She took the onsies and laid them out on her stomache.

Everyone enjoyed a good laugh and then Abby took a picture. Everyone was having a good time. Charity looked around the room and smiled. She was truely happy. She had wonderful friends and family. She had a man she loved and two beautiful boys on the way. It was wonderful.


	89. Chapter 89

Time passed and it was now late November and there was snow on the ground. Charity was eight and a half months pregnant. Today she arrived at NCIS to have lunch with Abby and Ziva. She entered the lab where Abby had plastic containers set up with food heated up. "That looks and smells so good." Charity said, entering the room.

"It's a family recipe." Abby said. "So, how's the weather out there?"

"Cold and snowy." Charity answered as she took a seat.

"You look tired, Charity." Ziva observed, noticing dark circles uner Charity's eyes.

"It's hard to sleep when you're being kicked in the kidneys all night." Charity answered.

"Tony kicks you in his sleep?" Ziva asked, confused.

Charity laughed. "No, the twins. They kick all night. Actually they kick whenever I'm not moving."

"I see." Ziva said.

The three women dug into the food Abby had brought and ate. They chatted more and soon all the food was gone. "So, have you and Tony decided on names for the twins yet?" Abby asked.

"Yes." Charity answered.

"So, what are they?" Abby asked.

"We aren't telling anyone until they are born." Charity answered.

Abby looked at Charity. "Seriously? That's just mean."

Charity grinned impishly. "I'm sorry, it's just something that we decided." Charity told Abby.

"Ziva, what do you think about this?" Abby asked.

Ziva was standing looking out the window. "I'm sorry, what were you talking about?" She asked, turning from the wondow.

Abby and Charity looked out the windows. The wind seemed to be blowing extra hard and the snow seemed to be drifting around and piling up. "Looks pretty bad out there." Charity commented.

"Yeah." Abby agreed.

Just then Tony and McGee entered the lab. Tony looked over and was surprised to see his wife. He walked over to her and pulled her in for a hug and kissed the top of her head. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"We were having lunch." She answered, gesturing to the empty food containers on the lab table.

"What are you guys doing down here?" Abby asked.

"We just came to give you the news that we are all stuck here for the night." McGee answered. "We are snowed in."

Abby suddenly got an excited look on her face. She looked at Charity and Ziva. "Okay, we are so totally making the most of this!"

Charity looked at Abby. "I know that crazy glint in your eyes." Charity said. "Okay, what is your scheme?"

"First we kick the men out." Abby said, pulling Tony away from Charity and pushing him and McGee out the door. She the shut and locked the door. "And now, we get the pillows from the bulistics room and we have a sleep over."

"I knew it." Charity said with a grin.

The three women went and grabbed the pillows and set them up in the lab. They sat on the pillows in a small circle. They talked and laughed. Abby pulled out some supplies she kept in her lab and the girls had smores.

_The guys..._

Tony and McGee returned to the squadroom. Gibbs looked up at them. "What happened?" He asked.

"Well, Charity was in the lab, they were having lunch together. We went and told them and the next thing we know, Abby's kicking us out." Tony answered, walking over to his desk and setting down.

Gibbs smirked. He had a feeling that Abby would decide the girls needed to have a sleepover. A silence settled over the room. McGee got on his computer and began playing some games. Tony pulled out a DVD and stuck it in his computer, watching one of his many good movies. Gibbs sat at his desk, pulled out a knife and a piece of wood and began to widdle.

As the men settled into their own thing, the phone at Tony's desk began to ring. Tony looked at it, noticing that it was Abby's extension. He paused his movie and picked up the phone.

Gibbs and McGee watched as Tony spoke with Abby. "What's up, Abby?" Tony asked. "Abby, slow down. I can't understand a word you're saying." Tony told her. Gibbs watched as Tony's facial expression changed as he heard Abby's answer. The look on his face was of shock and surprise. "What...are you sure...I'll be down in just a few minutes." Tony said and then hung up the phone.

"What is it?" McGee asked.

"Charity's water just broke." Tony answered, before bolting for the stairs.


	90. Chapter 90

Charity had gotten up to go to the bathroom. She'd been having contractions for the passed couple of days, but the doctor had told her they were Braxton Hicks contractions, in other words, she wasn't going into labor.

After Charity finished up in the bathroom, she started walking back to Abby's lab. A contraction hit her and Charity felt herself lean heavy against the wall. She breathed through the contraction and once it was over she began walking back to the lab. Three minutes later, Charity was just outside the lab when another contraction hit.

Charity sucked in a deep breath. The contractions were too close together. This was the real thing. The contraction ended and Charity entered the lab. Just as she made it through the door, her water broke.

Abby and Ziva looked up at the sound of the liquid hitting the floor. Charity looked at them. "My water broke." She announced before another contraction ripped through her.

Abby and Ziva got up and ran for Charity. They each took a side and helped her over to the floor and the circle of pillows. Ziva began to pile the pillows up behind Charity, trying to make her comfortable. "What do we do?" Abby asked, starting to seem panicked.

"Call Tony and get him down here." Charity answered.

Abby nodded. She grabbed her phone and dialed Tony's extension. "What's up Abby?" came Tony's voice over the phone.

"Charity'swaterbrokeandthetwinsarecom ing!" Abby blurted out, the words running together.

"Abby slow down, I can't understand a word you're saying."

"Charity's in labor."

"What?"

"The twins are coming, Tony!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, her water just broke all over my lab floor!"

"I'll be down in a few minutes."

Abby and Tony both hung up the phone. "He's on his way." Abby announced.

"Okay, call Duckie." Charity told Abby and then screamed as another contraction hit her.

_Tony..._

Tony bounded down the stairs. Gibbs and McGee were right behind him. They were soon outside of Abby's lab. They heard a scream coming from inside. Tony ran inside at the sound of his wife screaming. He opened the door and ran in, but slipped in something wet on the floor. He fell, landing on his butt.

"Oh my gosh! Tony!" Abby said.

Gibbs and McGee walked in carefully and then helped Tony up. "Are you okay, Tony?" Abby asked.

"Fine." He answered and then looked over to find Charity on the floor, being propped up by pillows and Ziva kneeling beside her. Tony walked over to her and knelt down beside her. He took her hand in his.

"Are you alright?" Charity asked him, breathing heavy after a contraction.

"I'm fine." Tony answered. "Let's just focus on you."

Just then, Duckie entered the room, carrying a few supplies. "I hear we are expecting a couple of arrivals." Duckie said, as he carefully walked around the fluid on the floor.

Gibbs and Duckie both walked over to Charity. Duckie knelt down in front of Charity and began laying some towels down. He then grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol and sterilized his hands and then put some gloves on. Gibbs and Abby did the same. Abby also sterilized a knife for Duckie, knowing that it would be needed to cut the cord.

"Alright, Charity, when I say push, you push." Duckie told her.

Charity nodded. "I got it, just get these kids outta me." Charity replied, with a cry as another contraction hit her. She then looked over at Tony. "We are never having sex again."

"I heard no complaints during the conception." Tony replied, trying make her laugh.

His attempt to make her laugh, did not work. Charity gave him a Gibbs stare.

"Charity." Duckie said, getting her attention. "I need you to get ready to push."

Charity nodded, trying to breath through the pain she was feeling.

"Push." Duckie told her as a contraction hit Charity.

Tony held Charity's hand and helped her to lean forward and push. The contraction ended, and Charity fell back against the pillows. "Push." Duckie told her as another contraction came. Charity pushed again and then fell back.

"You're doing great, honey." Tony told his wife, kissing her on the forehead.

"Push, Charity." Duckie said again. Charity pushed and fell back as the contraction ended. "I can see the head." Duckie announced. "Just a few more pushes and your first baby boy will be here. Now push."

Charity pushed, crying out in pain. "Push." Duckie commanded. "Alright, one more big push and he will be here. Push." Charity leaned forward and pushed with everything she had. She cried out as she pushed and soon the cries of one of her son's joined hers. Duckie looked up at Tony. "You wanna cut the cord, Daddy?" He asked.

Tony nodded. He moved down and took the knife. He cut the cord where Duckie told him to. Duckie then handed the boy to Gibbs, who had a towel waiting. Gibbs began to clean off his grandson, a smile on his face.

"Alright, one more baby boy to go." Duckie said.

"I...I can't do this." Charity said, tears in her eyes.

"Come on, Charity. You can do it." Tony said. "You've already got one here."

Charity shook her head. "I can't."

Gibbs passed the baby over to Abby and told her to finish cleaning him up. He then gestured for Ziva to move and then he knelt on the other side of his daughter. "Did I just hear you use the word _can't_ Marine?" Gibbs asked, the Gunery Sergent coming out in him. "You _can_ and you _will_ Corporal." Gibbs told her.

"Right, Gunny." Charity said, nodding.

"Alright, push Charity." Duckie told her. Charity pushed and then fell back. "Push." With each contraction, Charity pushed and fell back as they ended. "Alright, one more push and you're done." Duckie told her. "Now push, Charity."

Charity leaned forward, holding onto Tony with one hand and her father with the other. She put all of her strength into this final push and soon her second little boy was out and crying. Charity fell back on the pillows, tears in her eyes. Tony cut the cord and then Gibbs was cleaning him up.

Abby handed the first boy to Tony. Tony cradled his son to him and gazed down at him, a big grin on his face. Gibbs brought the second boy over and handed him to Charity. Charity held her son close, gazing down at him. Then she looked over at Tony and their other son. Tony looked up. They were both grinning like idiots. "They're perfect." Charity said.

"Yes." Tony agreed. "All ten finigers and ten toes."

"And absolutely beautiful."

Gibbs looked at Tony and Charity and his grandsons. He was grinning ear-to-ear. It was a wonderful feeling, his family growing. The new life was also very invigorating.

"It's a nice change of pace." Duckie said.

Gibbs looked over at him. "What's that Duck?"

"Being a part of a new life coming into the world, rather than being there when a life leaves." Duckie answered.

Gibbs nodded his agreement. "So, what are my grandsons' names?" Gibbs asked.

Tony and Charity looked at each other with a grin. A moment of wordless communication passed between them as they quickly decided who was going to be whom. Tony then spoke up. "This little guy is Thomas Leroy DiNozzo."

"And this little one os Jackson Anthony DiNozzo." Charity said.


	91. Chapter 91

A few hours later, the snow storm let up and an EMT unit arrived and took Charity, the twins, and Tony to the hospital. Once they arrived at the hospital, Charity and the boys were examined and given a clean bill of health.

Charity was settled into a room. They of course, put Charity into one of the lovely hospital gowns. Tony sat down in a chair beside her bed, the boys were in the nursery getting cleaned up further, dressed, and their shots.

"That was exciting." Tony said.

"You should call your dad." Charity told him.

"And you just sucked all the fun outta this." Tony replied, a teasing grin on his face.

Charity put on an innocent expression. "Hey, he is their grandfather."

"Yeah, but once I call him, he'll come for a visit." Tony said.

Charity reached her hand over and took her husband's hand. "I know that he wasn't the greatest dad in the world, but he is your father and the boys' grandfather. Maybe he'll do better."

"What is it with you Gibbses, you're always right?" Tony asked, a joking smile on his face.

Charity grinned. "Just remember that for the rest of your life and we'll be fine."

Tony leaned over and kissed Charity's cheek. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed his father's number. His dad picked up after three rings. "Hey Junior." He greeted brightly. "How are you? And how's that beautiful daughter-in-law of mine?" Senior asked.

"We're all just fine Dad." Tony answered.

"So, have the twins arrived yet? I know it has to be getting close."

"Just a few hours ago." Tony answered.

"Wonderful!" Senior said. "So, did you get the flag on the flag pole?"

"Yup. Both times." Tony answered, a grin on his face.

"What are my grandsons' names?"

"Thomas Leroy DiNozzo and Jackson Anthony DiNozzo." Tony answered.

"Good. I'll be out in a couple of days to see you guys. I can't wait to see the next generation of handsome DiNozzo boys. I'll see you in a few days." Senior said, before hanging up the phone and before Tony could tell him _no._

Tony hit the end call button and then looked at his wife. "He's coming to visit in a few days. He says he can't wait to see the boys."

"See, it's going to be good." Charity said.

"I'm still not convinced of that yet."

Just then, Gibbs and Abby entered the room. Gibbs carrying a bag of Charity's clothes. Abby sat down a bag of fast food on the table next to Charity's bed. "Gibbs thought you guys might be hungry and I grabbed you some clothes from your closet." Abby said.

"You guys are awesome." Charity said, grabbing the bag of food. She opened it up and grabbed out a burger then passed the bag to Tony.

"So, where are the babies?" Abby asked, looking around the room.

"Right here." A nurse said, wheeling the sleeping infants in, in the clear plastic boxes hospitals passed off as beds. "If you need anything, call for one of us, Mrs. DiNozzo." The nurse spoke.

"Thank you." Charity said, just before taking a bite of her burger.

The nurse nodded and then left. Abby walked over to the beds and looked at the boys. "Go ahead. I know you want to." Tony told her.

Abby grinned and lifted Thomas from his bed and held him in her arms. Gibbs walked over and picked up Jackson. The boys looked like sleeping angels. They were so cute. They each had a headful of copper-colored hair, a blending of Tony's brown and Charity's red.

"They are so adorable." Abby squealed, a smile of delight on her face. "I can;t believe they are finally here."

Charity looked at Tony. "You'd think she was the parent." She remarked, a teasing grin on her face.

"Hey, I'm the cute, adorable, and quirky Aunt Abby. I have a right to be excited." Abby said.

Abby and Gibbs stayed for a while longer, but left when visiting hours were over. Gibbs gave Charity a kiss on the forhead. "Love you, baby girl."

"Love you, Daddy."

Abby hugged both Tony and Charity. "I'm so happy for you guys and I love you both so much." She said. Then Abby and Gibbs were gone.

Tony and Charity were alone with their beautiful baby boys. They were each holding one of their sons. Tony looked at his wife. "You know something?"

"What?" Charity asked, a grin on her face.

"We make some beautiful babies." He told her.

Charity grinned. "Yes, we do."

Later in the night, Tommy and Jack were asleep and so was their mother. Tony sat in a reclining chair, looking over his family. He stood up and walked over to his boys. He looked down at their peaceful sleeping faces. _I hope I don't screw this up._ He thought. _I want to do right by my boys. I want to be a great dad. I hope I can do this._


	92. Chapter 92

A few days later, Charity and the boys were released from the hospital. Tony was helping Charity get ready and get the boys ready. Charity was in the bathroom getting dressed. Tony was changing the boys' clothes. At the moment, he was struggling to get a green fleece sleeper on Tommy.

"You know, you aren't making this easy on your dad." Tony spoke to his son. "If you would just hold still long enough, I could get this on you." Tony gently took Tommy's little fist and gently stuffed his arm through the sleeper. Once Tony finally had all of Tommy's limbs in the proper spots, he zipped up the sleeper.

Tony set Tommy in his bed and then picked Jack up. He pulled off the onsie and began to dress Jack in a pale blue sleeper. Jack was a little less squirmy than Tommy had been, but he still gave his dad a hard time. Once Tony finished getting him dressed, he laid him down in the bed. He looked at both the boys. "Are yous boys going to be giving me this hard of a time all your lives?"

Charity came out of the bathroom, wearing jeans and a tshirt. She smiled as she watched Tony interacted with the boys. "You're pretty good at this dad stuff." She told him.

Tony turned around and smiled at his wife. "And you're pretty good at this mom stuff." He replied. "Are you ready to get outta here?"

"Most definitely." Charity answered. She walked over and picked up Jack. Tony picked up Tommy and they walked the boys over to the matching car seats. They laid the boys down and began to try and figure out the buckles and straps. "I've worn less complicated harrnesses and gear for jumping out of a plane." Charity said.

"Once we get them in these car seats, will we be able to get them out?" Tony joked.

"I'm not sure." Charity answered. She fiddled with the straps and buckles until finally she had it right. "I got it. I have no idea how, but I got it." She said, excitedly.

Tony looked at the straps in his hands and the straps in the car seat Charity had figured out. He was able to figure it out from there and got his son strapped in. "Alright, we finally got these figured out."

"Not completely." Charity said. "We still have to get the car seats in the car."

"Right." Tony nodded.

Tony and Charity grabbed a couple of blankets and tossed them on top of the car seats, to cover the boys from the cold. Then they each lifted a car seat and carried the boys out. They had a hard time getting the car seats buckled in, but they finally figured it out. Once they had the boys strapped, they hopped in the front, Tony in the driver's side and Charity in the passenger's side.

Charity looked at her husband. "So, in our first few days as parents, we have learned that we are not smarter than car seats."

Tony grinned as he started the car. He put the car into gear and started to drive them home. "I'm sure it's not the first time we will be outsmarted by the baby stuff." He said as they made their way home.

Tony pulled the car into the driveway, pushed the button and the garage door opened up. He parked the car inside the garage and turned the engine off. They couple got out of the car and each grabbed a car seat, carrying the boys into the house. They set the car seats down on the couch and began to undo the buckles and straps and lifted the boys from the car seats.

They carried the boys up to the nursery. They laid them down in the cribs and covered them with blankets. They then began to walk out of the room. As soon as they closed the door, the boys began to cry. They walked back into the room and lifted the boys into their arms. "Hungry or need a diaper change?" Tony asked.

"Well, I don't smell anything, so I'm thinking hungry." Charity answered.

Tony grabbed a couple of pacifiers and stuffed them in the boys' mouths. "Now, hand him over, I'll hold them while you..."

"Go fill the botlles." Charity finished for her husband. She then handed Tommy to Tony and headed to get the pump. A little while later, she returned with two filled bottles. She took Tommy and handed Tony a bottle. They popped the pacifiers from their mouths and then popped the bottles in.

Once the boys finished their bottles, Tony and Charity grabbed a couple of burp rags and tossed them over their shoulders. Then they repositioned the boys and patted their backs. Each of the boys let out a healthy belch. "That's my boys." Tony said with a grin.

Charity grinned and shook her head. "It's a good thing that I'm used to being around men." Charity said. "Otherwise, for the next eighteen to twenty years, I'd be in trouble."

"We could always have more kids and try for a girl." Tony said.

"I'm not sure I would know what to do." Charity replied. "Besides, I have a feeling we are going to have our hands full with these two."

"They're DiNozzo boys, of course we will." Tony said with a grin.

"Just like their dad, huh?"

"Something like that."

Charity sniffed the air. "Do you smell that?" She asked.

"Yes." Tony answered. "Which one do you think?"

"Probably both." Charity replied.

They took the boys over to the changing tables. They unzipped the slippers and pulled the boys' lower bodies from the clothes. Then they undid the diapers. Both boys had filled their diapers. "Oh, that is aweful." Tony said. "You two are already being difficult. I mean I just got you two into these slippers and then you make us have to get you outta them and change your diapers."

Charity laughed, as she pulled out wipes and wiped Tommy clean. Tony cleaned Jack up and just before he could put the fresh diaper on, Jack created a fountain that made soaked his father's shirt. Charity was trying to contain her laughter as she saw the expression on Tony's face.

Tony quickly covered his son with the diaper and slipped him back into the sleeper. He then looked at his son. "That wasn't very nice, Jack." Then he looked over at Charity, who was doubled over, trying to fight a fit of giggles. "And it was not funny, Charity."

"Oh, please, if it had been me that got peed on, you'd be on the floor rolling." Charity replied, the laughter lighting her blue eyes.


	93. Chapter 93

The next night, Senior called Tony. "Hey, Dad." Tony answered his phone.

"I'll be arriving at your house tomorrow night. I'm boarding a plane now." Senior announced. "I'm also going to bring a guest."

"Who?" Tony asked.

"A surprise." Senior answered. "I can't wait to see those boys. I will see you around six tomorrow night. Bye son."

The line went dead. Tony held his phone away from his ear and stared at it. Then he hung it up. "Who was it?" Charity asked, walking into their bedroom, from the bathroom. She was wearing a thin white cotton night gown.

"My dad." Tony answered. "He's coming over tomorrow night and he's bringing a guest."

"Let me guess, he didn't say who?" Charity asked.

"How is that you haven't known my father that long, but you've already got him figured out?"

"I'm just that good." Charity answered with a grin. "You think it's gonna be a new step mother?"

"Probably." Tony answered. "And I bet she has a name like Tiffy or something like that. Probably even younger than me."

"Or maybe he's changed and is bringing someone age appropriate." Charity replied.

"Not my dad." Tony said. "He doesn't know the meaning of the word."

"Plus, you can't be too hard on him. I know that you've dated your fair share of younger women."

"How do you know that?"

"Tony, I told you, Dad told me all about you. Abby did, too."

"Why?"

"I may have been involved in a bunch of black opps, but when i wasn't I got rather bored. Plus, I couldn't watch soap operas, so I had to get my entertainment from somewhere." Charity teased, as she climbed into bed next to Tony.

Tony put an arm around his wife and pulled her close. He kissed the top of her head. "So, you get to know all sorts of embarrassing things about me, just because you got bored, but I don't get to know these embarrassing things about you?" Tony asked.

"That's right." Charity answered, a grin on her face. "I have to leave some mystery in the relationship. It helps make things more exciting."

Tony chuckled. "You keep me on my toes." He kissed her cheek. Then he reached over and turned the light off. Then they snuggled up and went to sleep.

About an hour later, they woke up to the sound of a crying baby. "It's Jack." Charity said.

"How do you know which one it is already?" Tony asked.

"I'm their mother, I just know." Charity answered. she slowly climbed out of bed and headed for the nursery. She walked in and lifted Jack from his crib. He was making a sucking face with his lips as he cried. Instantly, she knew he was hungry. She walked over to the rocking chair by the window and sat down. Then she moved her nightgown around and fed him. Once he had been fed and burped, Jack fell asleep. Charity kissed his forehead and placed him in his crib.

Charity began to walk out the door, when Tommy started crying. She walked over and picked him up. This cry was a little higher pitched and whiney sounding. She knew that this was his hungry cry. She then walked over to the chair and fed Tommy. He fell asleep as soon as Charity finished burping him. She laid him down in his crib and then went back to her own bed.

Two hours passed before Tommy woke up crying. "Your turn." Charity mumbled sleepilly to Tony.

"But what if he's hungry?" Tony asked.

"There's bottles in the fridge." Charity answered. "But that's Tommy and that's not his hungry cry. That's his needing a new diaper cry."

Tony slowly climbed out of bed. "How have you learned this stuff already?" He asked.

"I'm Super Mom. Haven't you heard?" Charity answered, somehow able to come up with a smart response even though she was half asleep.

Tony walked out the room and down the hall, into the boys' room. He walked over and lifted Tommy from his crib. As he lifted his son, he could smell the mess awaiting in the diaper. "One of these days, when you're going to be a father and you will get paid back for this." Tony said, laying his son down on the changing table. He undressed the baby and quickly changed his diaper.

Tony lifted the baby boy into his arms and held him close. He looked down at him. "I love you." Tony said, kissing the boy's forehead. Then he walked over to the rocking chair and sat down, rocking Tommy back to sleep. Tony laid Tommy back in his crib and just as he was about to walk into the hall, Jack began to cry.

Tony walked back into the room and picked Jack up. "Hey, hey buddy." Tony said. "What's the matter? You need a diaper change, too?" Tony laid Jack on the changing table, and sure enough, he needed a new diaper. Once Tony finished, he took Jack to the rocking chair and rocked him back to sleep. Then he laid him in the crib and went back to bed.

The boys woke up three more times that night, Tony and Charity taking turns getting up with them. Tony and Charity got out of bed around eleven, both needing the sleep, since the boys weren't letting them. They each picked up a boy and made their way downstairs. They laid the boys in bassinets and began to make breakfast.

After eating, they spent the day, getting the house ready and taking care of the boys. Charity picked through the boys' clothes and decided taht it was best that they just be comfortable and warm, so she put them in new sleepers. She then changed her own clothes, putting on a pair of jeans and a gray sweater. Tony was wearing jeans and a gray turtle neck sweater.

"Should I try and find a similar outfit for the boys so the whole family can match?" Charity asked, jokingly.

Tony turned to see that he and Charity matched. He chuckled and walked over to kiss her cheek. "You are wonderful, you know that?"

"I know. Just don't you ever forget it." Charity replied with a grin. "Now, I'm going to go start on dinner." She kissed Tony on the cheek and then headed back downstairs to start on dinner.

The boys were asleep in their cribs and Tony carried a baby monitor with him, so that they could keep an ear out for the boys. There was a knock on the door and Tony went to answer it. He opened the door and on the other side, stood his father and Bernie.

"Junior!" Senior greeted brightly. He even pulled Tony in for a hug.

"Hey Dad." Tony greeted.

Bernie then walked up and he and Tony shared a "bro hug."

"I see you weren't expecting me." Bernie said. "I bet you thought he was bringing you a new step mother."

"Actually, yeah." Tony replied with a smile. Then he stepped aside to allow their entrance.

"So, where's that gorgeous wife of yours, Junior?" Senior asked.

"Is someone asking for me?" Charity asked, walking into the living room.

Senior grinned at her. He walked over and pulled Charity into a hug. He kissed her cheek and then held her at arm's length. "You do not look like a woman who gave birth to twins days ago. If my son hadn't of had the good sense to snatch you up, I'd have to. You are just gorgeous."

Charity grinned at her father-in-law. "Yup, runs in the family." She said with a grin. Then she turned to look at Bernie. "Well, hello there stranger." She greeted.

Bernie grinned. He walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. "Tu sei ancora più bella di quanto l'ultima volta. Non posso credere che ti ha dato alla luce due gemelli a pochi giorni fa." He told her.

Charity giggled. "You DiNozzo men are wonderful for a girl's ego." She said.

Tony walked over to Bernie. "What have I told you about speaking Italian to me wife? It makes me look bad. Actually you're both making me look bad." He said, jokingly.

"Hey, we just appreciate a beautiful woman." Bernie said.

"Come on Junior, can you really blame us? I mean look at this gorgeous woman." Senior said, making a sweeping motion to Charity.

Tony looked at his wife. "True, I can't really blame you."

Charity grinned. She walked over to Tony and wrapped her arms around him. She gave him a peck on the cheek. Then she turned to her in-laws. "You two should visit more often."

Just then crying came out over the baby monitor. "That would be Tommy." Charity said.

"Hungry or diaper?" Tony asked.

"Neither." Charity answered. "He wants attention. I'll be right back." She kissed Tony on the cheek and then bounded up the stairs.

"How does she know that?" Bernie asked.

Tony shrugged. "Somehow she just knows."

A few minutes later, Charity came down the stairs carrying both boys. "My grandsons." Senior said, a smile on his face.

Charity grinned. She looked at Senior and Bernie. "You guys wanna hold them?" She asked.

The two men nodded. Charity passed Tommy to Senior. "This is Tommy." She said. Then she handed Jack to Bernie. "And this is Jack."

"How in the world do you keep them straight?" Bernie asked.

"Well, for one, by not putting them in matching clothes." Charity answered. "And also, Jack has a birth mark on his left butt cheek. Tommy has a birth mark on his right knee."

Both boys had their eyes open. "They have your eyes, Charity." Senior said. "Handsome little boys of course."

"Of course, they're DiNozzos." Bernie said. "We're all handsome."


	94. Chapter 94

A couple of weeks later, Tony returned to work, having taken time off to be with his new family. In a couple more weeks, they would be having Christmas dinner at their house, Gibbs, Senior, Bernie, Abby, Duckie, even Ziva and McGee would be joining them. At the moment, however the team was working on a case.

Gibbs was setting in the conference room with Vance, waiting for Major William Briggs to arrive. He had known the victim of the crime and would be there to help with the investigation in any way he could. Tony, Ziva, and McGee were setting at their desks, working on their leads, when the elevator doors parted. A man in a Marine Service uniform, stepped off. He was an older man, salt and pepper hair, a strong defined jaw, a well maintained physique, and intense green eyes.

"I'm looking for Special Agent Gibbs." The man said, his voice very deep. "I'm major Briggs."

Tony stood up and greeted the Major, extending his hand. "I'm Very Special Agent Tony DiNozzo. Gibbs is waiting in the conference room with the director. I'll take you to them."

"Thank you." Major Briggs replied. Then he followed Tony to the conference room.

Just then Abby came up. She walked over to Ziva's desk. "So, where's Tony?" Abby asked.

"He just led the Major to the conference room." Ziva answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Because, Charity isn't answering my calls about the Christmas dinner." Abby answered.

"Are you asking about me?" came Charity's voice from the elevator area. She was carrying two car seats with blankets over them.

"Why haven't you been answering my calls?" Abby asked.

Charity walked over and sat the car seats down. "I'm sorry." Charity replied. "I'm very tired. These two don't let me and Tony get very much sleep. So, I catch up when I can."

"Oh, okay." Abby said. Then she turned to Ziva, "Okay, I have to ask you a question."

"What is it?" Ziva asked.

"I've heard that the Major is a very handsome older man. I was wondering if that was true?" Abby asked.

"He is definitely handsome." Ziva agreed. "And his voice was very deep...and rich. He had very beautiful green eyes."

"Who is this?" Charity asked.

"Major William Briggs." Ziva answered.

Charity's eyes widened. She bent and picked up the car seats. "Okay, I gotta get outta here now." She then darted for the elevator, a car seat in each hand.

Abby and Ziva exchanged a look and then took off after Charity. Since she was carrying the boys, Charity was slowed down and Abby and Ziva were able to catch up to her. The three women entered the elevator and the doors closed.

McGee was left at his desk, staring at the elevator, a confused expression on his face. "What are you staring at McProbie?" Tony asked, coming in the room.

"Well, Charity just came in with the twins, Abby and Ziva started talking about the Major, then Charity said she had to get out of here now and darted for the elevator. Abby and Ziva followed her." McGee answered.

Tony looked at the elevator. "I wonder what that is about." Tony pondered.

"Do you think she was involved in another black op that is going to cross over into our case again?" McGee inquired.

"Maybe." Tony answered.

_Elevator..._

Abby pushed the button to stop the elevator. Then she and Ziva blocked charity from the buttons and the door. "Okay, why do you have to leave?" Ziva asked.

"After hearing about the Major being here." Abby added.

"I just can't see him." Charity answered. "And I really wish he weren't here."

"Why?" Abby and Ziva asked in unison.

"Because." Charity answered.

"Charity, tell me." Abby said. "Did something bad happen the last time you saw him?"

"I just can't talk about this." Charity replied. "It's...classified. Okay?"

"Okay." Abby and Ziva said, reluctantly.

"Now, please let me go home? I can't see him."

Abby and Ziva nodded. Abby pushed the elevator button, and the doors opened. Then Abby and Ziva stepped off, the doors closed and Charity headed down. They saw Tony standing by McGee's desk, talking to him.

Tony turned to them. "Where's my wife and boys?" He asked.

"Headed home." Abby answered.

"Did she say why?" Tony asked.

"She said, she couldn't see the Major and that it was classified as to why." Ziva answered.

"So, it looks like a black op." McGee said. "Looks like Charity maybe involved in another case."

"I don't think any ops she's worked on will show up in this investogation." Abby piped up.

"I'm thinking that whatever it was may not have been a black op at all." Ziva said. "I think it maybe something else entirely."

"Like what?" Tony asked.

"I'm not sure." Ziva replied. "But maybe, you can find out. You are her husband after all."

Tony nodded. He looked at his watch. "Tell Gibbs, I'll be back." then he headed for the elevator.

"Now that Tony is on it, we will find out in no time." Abby said, looking at Ziva.

"Yes, he is one man who won't give up when he wants to know something." Ziva agreed.

"He may already have some idea of what's going on." McGee piped up.

Both women turned to McGee. "What makes you say that McGee?" Ziva asked.

"Because, when he found out that she freaked and headed for the door when she found out the Major was here, he had me look up the Major's history." McGee answered.

"And what did you find, McGee?" Ziva asked, her and Abby walking over to look at McGee's computer.

"Well, when Charity was a Private in basic training, the Major was a Gunery Sergeant on the base, Charity trained at." McGee answered.

Abby's face lit up and she looked at Ziva. "Oh my gosh. I think I know how she knows him."

"How?" Ziva asked.

"Oh, she'll kill me if I tell though." Abby said. "Besides, I'm not positive that I'm right. Let's see what she tells Tony first."

Ziva nodded reluctantly. "Alright."

**A/N: I hope you guys are enjoying this. Whenever I decide to finish this story, I will probably be creating another version or more of Tony and Charity's relationship. I keep getting ideas on how to make their story, but do it differently. A couple versions involve Charity as a Marine still and another involves Charity being an NCIS agent and Gibbs having gone MIA after Shannon and kelly's murder.**


	95. Chapter 95

Tony arrived home to find his wife in the kitchen, having the boys in their bath seats and cleaning them up. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. "Hello beautiful." He told her, grinning into her neck.

Charity grinned and giggled as Tony's breath tickled her neck. "Hello handsome." She replied. "What are you doing home so soon?"

"Well, when I heard that you bolted out the door when you found out the Major was at NCIS, I thought I'd come see what was going on." Tony answered.

"Oh, that...that was nothing." Charity answered, not turning to face her husband. She continued to gently wash the boys.

"If it was nothing, then why did you leave? Was this anything like the thing that happened with MI6 Agent Moore?" Tony asked.

"No, bothing like that." Charity answered.

"Then what is it?" Tony asked. "Is it going to make the announcement I have to make awkward?"

Charity turned briefly from the boys to look at her husband with a raised brow. "What announcement?"

"Well, while the Major is in town, helping with the case, he has to have some place to stay..."

Charity's eyes widened. "Don't you dare finish that sentence the way I think you're going to finish it." Charity replied, pointing her finger at him.

"It's not like I volunteered for it...Vance kinda said I had to." Tony said, looking guilty.

"Okay, help me finish getting the boys bathed and then we are going back to NCIS and I'm telling Vance he has to give Major Briggs somewhere else to stay."

"Why?" Tony asked.

Charity covered Tommy's little ears and then motioned for Tony to cover Jack's. "Because he sure as hell isn't staying here."

Just then there was a knock at the door. "I don't think we have a choice. It sounds like he's already here."

"Help me real quick." Charity said. she grabbed a towel and lifted Tommy from his bath, wrapping the towel around him and holding him close.

Tony did the same with Jack, then he gently handed Jack over to Charity. Charity headed up to the nursery and Tony went to answer the door. Sure enough, the Major was on the other side. "Hello Major Briggs." Tony greeted.

"Please call me Will." He said. "Thank you for letting me stay here."

Tony moved aside to let the Major enter the room. "It's nothing." Tony said.

Just then Charity came down the stairs, a baby monitor in hand. "Corporal Gibbs?" The Major asked, a look of utter surprise on his face.

"Actually, it's DiNozzo now." Charity said, walking over to stand next to Tony. "And I'm retired."

"Oh." The Major said. "I, uh, never thought I'd see you again."

"Same here." Charity replied, in a clipped tone. Just then, a crying came over the baby monitor. "Jack's hungry." She kissed Tony and then headed back up the stairs.

"Whose Jack?" Will asked looking at Tony.

"One of our boys." Tony answered. "We had twins just a couple weeks ago."

"I see." Will replied. "So, where will I be staying?"

"Right this way." Tony said, heading up the stairs. The Major followed Tony up the stairs and to the guest bedroom. "I know it's not much, but it's what we have."

"It's just fine." Will replied.

"I'll let you get settled." Tony said. Then he walked out of the room and headed for the nursery. "You need some help?"

"If you wanna change Tommy's diaper, that would be helpful." Charity answered. "Also, if you wanna kick the Major out, that would be even more helpful."

"I'll change Tommy's diaper." Tony said, walking over to the crib and picking up his son.

A couple of hours later, the group was setting down to a lovely meal, filled with awkward silence and small talk. "This is a delicious meal, Charity." Will said.

"Thank you, Major." She said, not looking up from her plate.

Just then a cry came out over the baby monitor. "Tommy need wants attention." Charity siad, getting ready to get up.

"I'll go get him, honey." Tony said. "I've been at work all day. I miss the boys. Besides, you need a break."

"Okay." Charity said.

Tony walked over and kissed his wife, then he headed up the stairs, discreetly leaving the baby monitor not far away. When he reached the nursery, Tony picked up Tommy and carried him over to the rocking chair, right next to the baby monitor.

"So, it looks like life after the Core is treating you well." came the Major's deep voice over the monitor.

"Yeah, Tony's the best." Charity said, Tony could hear the smile in her voice.

"So, how'd you meet him?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Charity asked. "He works with my dad."

"I see. You have beautiful boys."

"Thank you."

"You have a nice family here."

"Yes, and I love my family."

"It makes me wish I'd have done more to keep you. Maybe this family could have been mine." The Major replied.

Tony looked at the baby monitor, a confused expression on his face. "There's nothing you could have done." He heard Charity say.

"I've never loved a woman the way that I loved you. I still love you."

"I love my husband." Charity said.

"But what you and I had..." The Major began to protest.

"The key word in that sentence is _had_. It wouldn't have worked out. I'm married and I have a family. I'm happier than I've ever been. Like I said, Tony is the best."

"But, I could make you happy."

"No." Tony could hear Charity stand up, her chair sliding hard against the floor. "You can stay here for the night, but I want you out of my house tomorrow."

Later that night, Tony and Charity were in bed, Tony not having said, anything about listening in on the conversation between Charity and the Major. He was unhappy with the Major for saying anything to Charity, but he was happy that Charity had basically told him to go screw himself.

Charity snuggled up to Tony, her head on his chest. "I love you, Tony." She told him, placing a light kiss on his chest.

Tony kissed the top of her head and hugged her closer. "I love you, Charity."

"I know you overheard my conversation with the Major while you were with the boys." Charity said.

"How'd you know?"

"Because, when I got up and left the room, I saw the baby monitor."

"Are you going to kill me for listening?"

Charity let out a sigh. "No, it's my own fault since I wouldn't tell you about it."

"So, what exactly did happen? Plus, he's what three years younger than your dad?"

Charity lifted her head to look at Tony. "It was a long time ago. Back when I was in basic training. He was a Gunny then. I was eighteen and it was the first time I'd really been away from home for a long period of time. He was one of my instructors and one night I broke down and he was actually nice to me. Then we started seeing each other. I broke it off when I finished basic training."

"Why exactly did you break up with him?"

"Because, we were in two different places in life. Plus, with that big of an age difference, it just wouldn't work."

"That seems reasonable." Tony said.

Charity stretched up and kissed Tony. "I love you and you are the best husband in the world."

Tony stroked Charity's cheek and then pulled her face to him. He gently kissed her lips. "When the doctor clears you, we are getting a baby sitter for a night and I'm going to love you all night long."

Charity giggled. "I like the sound of that." Then she got an idea. "You know, until then, we could have a hot make out session."

Tony grinned. "I love the way you think." He then rolled over and placed himself on top of Charity. He kissed her passionately, slipping his hands under her shirt, to run them all over her body. Charity explored Tony's body with her hands, loving how something that could have potentially hurt their relationship, only brought them closer.


	96. Chapter 96

The next day, the Major left Tony and Charity's house early in the morning. He had gone straight to NCIS to do what he could to help with the case. When Tony woke up, he got dressed and headed to work.

Charity spent the day in the house, cleaning, taking care of the boys, and putting out Christmas decorations. As Charity was wrapping some graland around the stair rail, there was a knock on the door. "Who is it?" Charity called.

"Abby and Ziva." came Abby's voice.

"Come in." Charity called back.

Abby and Ziva walked in the door and looked around. "How in the world are you finding time to decorate this house, when you have twin boys?" Abby asked.

"They are napping at the moment." Charity replied. "So, what are you guys going here?"

"Trying to find out how you know the Major." Abby answered.

"Abby has a theory." Ziva added.

"Let me guess, you asked Tony and he wouldn't tell you what I told him?" Charity asked.

"Right." Abby said. "So, do you want me to tell you my theory or would you like to just tell me what it really is?"

"You can tell me your theory." Charity replied.

"I know that he was a Gunny when you were in basic training. I also know that he was one of your instructors." Abby began. "I'm pretty sure that he's the one that you told me about, as well."

"The one what?" Charity asked.

"The older man whom you started seeing and who gently guided you into womanhood." Abby replied.

"You have far too good a memory." Charity told Abby.

"Wait, what do you mean by he _gently guided _Charity iinto _womanhood?_" Ziva asked, confused.

Abby looked at Charity. "You wanna take this or should I?"

Charity sighed. "I'll do it." She answered and then turned to Ziva. "He was my first."

"Your first what?" Ziva asked.

Charity sighed again. "My first time...with a man."

"Oh!" Ziva said, the light bulb turning on. "But I thought most people, especially here in America, had their first time in high school."

"Yeah, well when I was in high school, my boyfriends never stuck around long enough. You know after they met my dad." Charity replied.

"So, how did Tony react when you told him about this?" Abby asked.

"Well, all he knows is that the Major and I had a relationship when I was in basic and that I ended it because of the age difference and that we were in two different places in life." Charity replied.

"So, that means you also didn't tell Tony that the Major proposed to you?" Abby asked.

"Woa, I did not see that one coming." Ziva said.

"Yeah, I hadn't seen it coming either." Charity replied. "I was eighteen and just starting my military career and he was at a place where he'd decided he wanted to settle down. I didn't and I saw no way it could work out, so I broke it off."

"You have to tell Tony." Abby said.

Charity let out an exasperated sigh. "Why? He knows I have a past and I know he has one. Do we really have to dredge it all up?"

"You should." Abby said.

_Tony..._

Tony hopped on the elevator at work, to head out to check on a lead. Major Briggs excused himself from the conference room and followed Tony onto the elevator. "We need to talk." The Major told Tony.

Tony reached over and pushed the button to stop the elevator. "Talk." Tony said.

"I know that you know about my relationship with your wife..."

"You past relationship." Tony replied.

"Well, that remains to be seen." The Major muttered. "Anyway, I like you Agent DiNozzo. That is why I feel like I should warn you."

"Warn me? About what?" Tony asked.

"I'm not giving up on Charity. I will get her back."

Tony laughed. "I believe you already tried last night and I believe my wife told you where to get off."

"She must not have told you what exactly she and I had."

"Then enlighten me. Tell me what you had and why it was so wonderful that she would leave her husband and sons for you."

"I was her first." The Major began.

"So?" Tony asked.

"I asked her to marry me." The Major replied.

Tony thought back to the night before, when Charity had told him that she'd ended it with the Major, that it was because they were in different places in life. "And she ended it after that." Tony said.

"Yes, but that's only because she was so young. I should have known better."

"Look, why don't you just take a hint, she's married to me now. We have two kids together. I believe she told you last night to leave. So, just finish helping us with this case and leave."

"I can't do that."

"Look, she said no to you and then dumped you. She said yes to me and we are married and we have a family. Get over it." Then he pushed the button and the elevator began to move again. When the doors opened, Tony stepped off and headed to his car. Tony followed up on his lead, which turned out to be a dead end and then he headed home.

When Tony arrived at his house, he found Abby and Ziva standing in the entry way, talking to Charity, who was standing on the stairs, wrapping a garland around the banister. All three women looked at Tony, surprised. "Hey, honey." Charity greeted.

"I think we should go." Abby said to Ziva. "Bye guys."

"Yeah, bye." Ziva said and then they were gone.

"Is something wrong?" Charity asked Tony.

Tony walked over to Charity and placed his hands on either side of Charity's face and pulled her lips to his for a hard, passionate kiss. Charity wrapped her arms around Tony and pulled herself as close to him as she could. Tony's hands moved down from Charity's face and down her sides, to her lower back, and then to her butt.

After a several intense seconds, Tony broke the kiss. Charity was grinning at him. "Not that I'm complaining or anything, but what's gotten into you? I like it." Charity told him.

"I had a little talk with the Major." Tony answered. "He told me he had proposed to you."

"Oh, that." Charity said. "I forgot to mention that didn't I?"

"How could you forget something like that?" Tony asked.

"Maybe forgot is the wrong word. I just didn't think it was important. That's all in the past. I told him no and then broke up with him."

"He seems to think that he can get you back."

"Well, he's wrong." Charity assured Tony. "I'm all yours."

Tony smiled at his wife. "I'm glad to hear that."

Charity kissed Tony again. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

The couple kissed, the kiss becoming hot and heavy. Then the boys started crying. Tony and Charity broke apart, both breathless. Tony looked at his wife, a grin on his face. "You know, when you were in labor and said we were never having sex again, I think you may have been right."

Charity giggled. "Like you said, when the doctor clears me, we'll just have to get a baby sitter for the night."

Tony and Charity both headed for the nursery and took care of the boys. The boys were starting to stay awake more. Tony and Charity sat down on the couch, holding their boys and each other. Even though Major Briggs had been trying to come between them, he was only bringing them closer together.

"I love you." Tony told Charity, kissing the top of her head.

Charity kissed Tony's cheek. "I love you."


	97. Chapter 97

About three days later, the team had solved the case and were already moving on to a new one. Charity hadn't heard anything from Major Briggs since he had talked to Tony in the elevator. Charity hoped that he was going away.

Charity was setting on the couch, the boys asleep in their bassinets, not far away. There was a knock on the door. She got up to answer it. On the other side was a delivery man. "I have a package for Charity DiNozzo." He said.

"That's me." Charity replied.

"Okay, sign here, please." He said, holding out a clip board.

Charity signed her name and the delivery man gave her the package. Charity thanked him and then went back inside, package in hand. She sat back down on the couch and set the package on the coffee table and opened it.

Inside the package was a bustier and thong, with a camo pattern. Charity lifted the clothing from the box and looked at it. There was a card in the bottom of the box. She picked the card up and opened it. The card had been a blank card that somone had written in.

_Charity,_

_ I know that you've said no, but I don't believe taht you mean it. I know that you have to love me just as much as I still love you. There has to be some place in your heart that still belongs to me, just as my heart is still yours._

_ I got you this present made you remember me. For you to remember the times we had together. The dates we had were wonderful and the nights we spent together, were amazing. I know you have to remember how it felt when we made love. Being with you was wonderful._

_ My time with you was the happiest of my life. I should have put up more of a fight to keep you. I should have known that when I asked you to marry me, you would say no. You were so young at the time. But now, it is clear you are ready for marriage and family life. I ask that you give me a chance. I ask that you remember what we had. Please, Charity, come back to me._

_Yours Always,_

_William_

When Charity finished reading the card, she tossed it back in the box. She closed the box up and looked at the boys, they were still sound asleep. She slipped on her jacket and a pair of shoes and headed to the end of the driveway. She tossed the box into the trash can.

She walked back inside, not taking off her coat and shoes, and plopped down on the couch with a sigh. _Why can't he take a hint? I'm not leaving Tony._

_Tony..._

Tony arrived home from work. When he pulled the car into his driveway, he noticed a box in the trashcan at the end of the driveway. Tony parked the car and got out. He walked over to the trashcan and picked up the box. He opened it and saw the lingerie and the card. She pulled out the card and read it.

"This has got to stop." Tony spoke aloud. He threw the box back into the trash and got back in the car. He knew that the Major was staying in a local hotel. When He arrived, he headed straight for the Major's room and knocked on the door.

Major Briggs opened the door and saw Tony standing on the other side. He looked surprised. "Hello Agent DiNozzo. What are you doing here?"

"I came here to tell you to stay away from my wife. I saw the present you sent her." Tony answered.

"Why don't you come in and we'll talk about this." Major Briggs replied, stepping aside to allow Tony's entrance.

Tony walked inside the hotel room and Briggs shut the door behind him. "Charity is my wife." Tony said. "Leave her alone."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Agent DiNozzo." Briggs replied. "She has my heart. Besides, you saw the present, which means she liked it."

"Yeah, she liked it enough to throw it in the trash." Tony told him. "That's where I found it."

"She doesn't know you saw it, does she?"

"No."

"She doesn't know you're here either?"

"No."

"I'm not giving up on her."

"Yes, you are. She is my wife and the mother of my children. Stay away from my house. Stay away from my wife adn my family." Tony told Briggs, getting up in his face.

"I'm not giving up on Charity. She is the love of my life."

"You're old enough to be her father."

"Age means nothing. Now get out of my face." Briggs said, pushing Tony.

"That's it." Tony said, lunging at the Major.

_Charity..._

Charity had just finished giving the boys a bath, when the front door opened and closed. Charity walked out of the kitchen and sat the boys in their bassinets. She walked to the intryway, where Tony was hanging up his coat.

"Hey, honey." She greeted him, his back to her.

"Hi." He replied, not turning to look at her.

"Are you okay, Tony?" She asked.

"Fine." He answered.

"Then why won't you look at me? Are you mad at me?"

"I'm not mad at you." Tony answered. Then he started for the stairs, still not letting Charity see his face.

Charity grabbed Tony by the elbow. "Tony, what's wrong?"

Tony let a sigh and turned around. He had a black eye and his bottom lip was split slightly.

"Oh my...what happened?" Charity asked, reaching her hand up to gently touch his face.

"Nothing." Tony answered.

"Tony, what happened?"

Tony let out a sigh. "I saw the box in the trash outside and I went to see the Major."

"Why?"

"I'm sick of him trying to get you back. I want him to leave you alone. To leave us alone."

"Are you alright?" She asked, worried that he had worse injuries. She knew the kind of damage a Marine could do. She had done some of that damage herself a few times.

"I'm fine." Tony answered. "Just a little bruised up."

"So, what damage did you do to the Major?" Charity asked, a sly grin on her face.

"Well, I think I broke his nose." Tony answered, grinning and then flinching as it hurt his lip.

Charity stretched up and kissed his cheek. Then she took his hand and led him into the downstairs bathroom. "Let's get you patched up."

"Okay, but if you're going to be taking care of me, I insist that you wear that nurse's uniform, I bought you." Tony replied.

Charity giggled. "Well, at least I know your libido is working just fine." She then had Tony set down in the bathroom. She pulled out a first aid kit and pulled out the supplies. She cleaned cut on his lip.

Tony lifted his arms up and placed his hands on her hips. He looked up into her blue eyes. He pulled her body close to him, pressing her into his chest. "I love you." He told her.

"I love you, too." Charity replied. She then kissed Tony's forehead. She then lifted a hand to run her fingers through his hair.

"So, you're not mad at me for going to see Briggs?" Tony asked.

"No." Charity answered. "I'm actually kinda enjoying the little bit of jealousy."

"I'm not jealous." Tony replied, too quickly. "But...if I were, why would you be enjoying it?"

"I don't like that you're afraid of losing me, especially to another man, but I like that I mean anough to you that you don't want to lose me. If that makes any sense." Charity answered.

"I see." Tony replied. He pulled Charity down onto his lap. He reached a hand up to cup her face and pulled her lips to his. As he kissed her, he ran his hands through her hair. "Ow." He said, the movement of his lips, pulling at the cut.

Charity couldn't help but giggle. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you." She told him with a grin.

"I'm counting on that." Tony replied, stroking Charity's cheek. "I'm counting on it."

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update. I was fighting with Writer's Block. I hope you guys like the update.**


	98. Chapter 98

The next day, Tony arrived at work, surprisingly before anyone else. Ziva and McGee arrived at the same time. They both looked at Tony, confused as to why he was already there. "What?" Tony asked, looking up revealing the injuries to his face.

"What happened to your face?" McGee asked.

"Nothing." Tony answered.

"You finally get on Charity's nerves?" Ziva asked, a grin on her face.

"No." Tony answered.

"So, you're not going to tell us what happened?" Ziva inquired.

Tony put his finger on the tip of his nose. "You got it."

Just then, Abby entered the room. She started to say something and then she looked at Tony. "Oh my...Tony! Are you alright? What happened?" She asked, running over to him to give him a hug.

"I'm fine, Abby." Tony answered.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Nothing." Tony answered. "Just don't worry about it."

Gibbs walked in the room. "What do you guys got for me?" He asked, turning the focus of the room from Tony's mysterious injuries and to the case.

_Charity..._

Charity was holding Tommy and Jack, rocking them in the chair and humming a lullaby. Once they were both sound asleep, she placed them in their cribs, kissing each of their foreheads. "I love you both so much." She whispered to them. "You boys and your daddy, are my whole world."

Charity grabbed the baby monitor and went downstairs. She tossed a load of the boys' clothes into the washer and then started cleaning their bottles. There was a knock at the door. Charity stopped what she was doing anbd headed to see who was on the other side of the door.

When she opened the door, she found Major Briggs standing on the other side. She moved to slam the door in his face, but he stopped her. "I'm not going to leave until you hear me out." He told her.

"You won't leave? Fine, let me call the cops." Charity replied.

"If you don't hear me out, then I will press charges against your husband for assaulting me."

"You wouldn't do that." Charity told him. "Then you'd have to reveal why he did what he did. Which is you, an officer in the Marine Core, trying to bust up his marriage. The last time I checked, the military doesn't approve of such behavior and your career would be over."

"Please, just listen to me?" Major Briggs pleaded.

Charity looked at the Major and placed her hand on his chest, then she firmly shoved and then slammed the door shut and locked it. "Now go away or I will call the cops."

"You know as well as I do they won't arrest a distinguished veteran." Briggs called back.

Charity hated it, but she knew she wasn't going to get him to go away, at least not on her own. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Tony's number.

_Tony..._

Tony was working on following a paper trail, when his cell phone began to ring. He looked at the screen and saw that it was Charity. He hit the accept button. "Hey honey, what's going on?" He asked.

"He's here and he won't go away." Charity answered.

"I'll be right there." Tony told his wife. They both hung up, and then Tony was getting up and heading for the elevator.

"Where are you headed, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"To take care of a little issue at home." Tony answered.

Gibbs got up from his desk and followed Tony. Once they were on the elevator, Gibbs looked at Tony. "What's going on? Does this have something to do with what happened to your face?"

Tony sighed. "When Charity was in basic, she and the Major had a thing, but she broke up with him. Now he wants her back and he won't leave her alone." Tony answered.

"You want some help?"

Tony hated to admit it, but he was going to need Gibbs' help. "Yeah."


	99. Chapter 99

Charity stood by the window, watching for Tony to arrive. That's when she heard the front door crash. Instinctively, she ran to the sound, but instantly regretted it. "I'm not leaving until youlisten to me." Briggs said. "And you will listen to me."

"Get out of my house." Charity said, her voice coming out much stronger than she felt.

"No." Briggs replied, stepping toward Charity, he reached out and grabbed her by the wrists. He pulled her close, holding her wrists tight, but also hold her close enough that she couldn't lift her leg to kick at him.

Charity knew that there was something she could do, some manuver she could use to get out of this position, but she couldn't think of it. Charity froze in fear, her mind traveling back to a time long ago. A time before she joined the Marines. "Let go. You're hurting me."

Briggs didn't let go. He held on tight, stared Charity down. "You have to listen to me. I love you, Charity. I can't live without you."

"Then why are you hurting me?" She asked, feeling so afraid and helpless.

"Let her go, or I will put a bullet through your head." came the athoratative voice of Gibbs.

Charity looked past the Major and saw her father and Tony, standing in the doorway, guns drawn. Instantly she, felt embarrassed about the situation.

The Major let go of Charity and backed away from her. "Now, walk out of the house." Gibbs ordered.

The Major walked out of the house. Gibbs followed him out. Tony holstered his gun and walked over to his wife. "Are you hurt?" He asked, reaching a hand up to stroke her cheek.

"Just my pride." Charity answered.

_Gibbs and Major Briggs..._

"I...I didn't...didn't mean to hurt her." Briggs said, suddenly remorseful and stunned by his actions.

"But you did." Gibbs said, already having holstered his gun. "Now, leave and don't you dare come near my daughter again. If I see you anywhere near her again, I won't hesitate to kill you."

"But I love her." Briggs protested.

"If you really loved her, you wouldn't hurt her." Gibbs countered. "She's married and happy. Now, stay away from my daughter."

Briggs nodded. "Fine, you guys win." Then he left.

Gibbs walked back inside the house. "Are you alright, baby girl?" He asked.

"I'm fine." Charity answered. She then found a way to excuse herself and headed out of the room.

"I'll run to the house and grab some tools to put your door back up." Gibbs said.

"Thanks boss. I'm gonna go check on Charity." Tony replied.

Gibbs left and headed to his house to pick up the tools. Tony headed up the stairs to find Charity sitting on their bed, looking at a picture. "What are you looking at?" Tony asked, walking over to his wife to sit by her.

"An old picture." Charity answered.

Tony looked at the picture. It was of a younger Charity, probably about seventeen or eighteen. She was wearing a bikini and standing in front of a mirror, having taken the picture herself. She had bruises on her ribs and upper legs, places not visible when wearing normal clothes. "What happened?" He asked.

"This picture was from my Senior year of high school, towards the end. I had been dating this guy, he...he was abusive." Charity said. "He not only kept me down physically, but he had me beat down mentally and emotionally. He had me thinking I couldn't do any better. I hadn't really thought about joining the Core until I realized that I needed to get away from him. I joined to become a stronger woman. He made me feel helpless. I never wanted to be that helpless scared little girl again. And today, when the Major had a hold of me, I felt helpless again. I mean I had to call you to help me get rid of him and Dad came, too."

Tony put his fingers under her chin and coaxed her face to look at him. "Charity, I know you are far from helpless, but part of being married, is that I will always be here to help. It's okay to need me. And as far as your dad goes, do you think he's ever going to stop taking care of you just because you're a strong Marine?"

"I hate it when you're right." Charity replied.

Tony pulled Charity's lips to his. "I love you." He told her.

"I love you." Charity replied.


	100. Chapter 100

A week later and no more disturbances from the Major. Tony and Charity were getting the house ready for the big dinner they were having. Charity had dressed the boys in little red and green outfits that read _Baby's First Christmas_ on the front. She also put little Santa hats on them.

Tony walked in the nursery as Charity was placing the Santa hats on the boys. "What are you doing to our boys?" Tony asked.

"I'm dressing them in holiday style." Charity answered. "Aren't they just adorable?"

Tony walked over to the boys and looked down at them. "Boys, I'm sorry your mother is crazy."

Charity giggled and playfully slapped Tony on the shoulder. "You know they look adoarable."

Tony looked at the boys in their little hats. "Okay, they do look pretty cute, but they're DiNozzos so that's a given."

"Handsome just like their dad." Charity replied, stretching up to kiss Tony's cheek.

Just then, Tony's cell phone rang in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the caller ID, it was his dad. Tony hit the accept button and held the phone to his ear. "Hey, Dad, what's up?" He asked.

"Hey, Junior I hope you don't mind, but I'm bringing a friend with me to dinner." Senior said.

"Just depends on who this friend is." Tony replied.

"Just a woman who doesn't have anyone to spend her holidays with." Senior answered.

"Oh, Dad, don't tell me you're bringing me a new step mother?"

"I'm not. She's just a friend Junior. I'm not attracted to her and she's not attracted to me." Senior answered.

"I find that hard to believe, Dad."

"I'm being honest, Junior. She's just a friend. She has no one else to spend time with.I hope you don't mind."

Tony sighed. "I guess it's alright."

"Great, we'll see you in a little while." Then the line went dead.

Tony hung up the phone and then looked at his wife. "I guess we'll be having one more for dinner."

"New step mother?" Charity asked.

"Senior insists no, but I think so." Tony answered.

A couple of hours later, everything was ready. There was a knock on the door and Charity went to answer it. She stepped aside as her father entered the house. "Merry Christmas, baby girl." Gibbs said, pulling his daughter in for a hug and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I brought a special surprise."

Just then Jackson stepped in the house. "Pappy Jack!" Charity greeted, excitedly hugging her grandfather.

"My little junebug." Jackson Gibbs greeted his granddaughter, wrapping his arms around her.

"Looks like we are having a full house tonight." Tony said, walking into the room, as Charity shut the door.

"Hey, Tony." Jackson greeted. "You been treating my junebug right?" He asked.

"Well, your son hasn't killed me yet, so I guess I'm doing alright." Tony answered.

"You wanna see your great grandsons?" Charity asked.

"Yes." Jackson answered a smile on his face.

Charity led her grandfather into the living room, where the boys were sound asleep in their bassinets.

"So, precious." Jackson said. "What did you guys name them?"

"Daddy, sisn't tell you?" She asked.

"Nope." Jackson answered.

"Well, this is Thomas Leroy DiNozzo and this is Jackson Anthony DiNozzo." Charity told her grandfather, gesturing to each of her boys.

Jackson looked at Charity, surprise on his face. "You named one of them after me?"

Charity grinned. "Of course, you are the best grandpa, after all."

Jackson opened his arms and pulled Charity into a hug. He kissed her cheek.

A while later, Abby and Ziva arrived. And soon after them, Duckie and McGee. All that was missing were Senior, Bernie, and Senior's guest. "Late as usual." Tony muttered.

Charity walked over to her husband, Abby and Jackson looking after the boys for the moment. "You worry too much about your dad." Charity told him, kissing his cheek.

"I just know how my dad is." Tony answered.

"Welp, I'd better go check on the food. You don't stress out." Charity replied, giving Tony another kiss. "Everything will be just fine."

"I hope you're right." Tony replied, as Charity headed into the kitchen.

Just then there was a knock at the door. _It's about time._ Tony thought, heading to open the door. "Tony!" Bernie greeted.

"Hey!" Tony replied.

"so, where's that beautiful wife?" Bernie inquired.

"In the kitchen." Tony answered. "Where's my dad and his friend?"

"On the way." Bernie answered. "Welp, I'm going to go visit with your wife."

Bernie headed into the kitchen and found Charity at the stove. "Well, hello there beautiful." Bernie greeted.

Charity turned around and smiled at Bernie. "Hello." She greeted.

Bernie walked over to her and pulled her in for a hug and kissed her cheek. "You know, I have to wish that my cousin didn't get you first."

Charity giggled. "You DiNozzo men are terrible."

"Oh, you know you love the attention." Bernie replied.

"Maybe, just a little." Charity replied with a grin. "So, where's Senior?"

"On his way." Bernie answered. "You know, being a DiNozzo now, you're going to have to learn we arrive fashionably late, everywhere."

"I should have known." Charity replied with a grin.

"Do you need any help in here?" Bernie asked.

"No." Charity replied. "Now, get out of my kitchen. I need room." Her tone was playful.

Bernie nodded and went to rejoin Tony. "So, how's fatherhood?" Bernie asked.

"Pretty good." Tony answered. "Other than the up and down all night."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Tony headed to go and open the door. On the other side stood his father and a woman that for once wasn't young enough to be his daughter. She was actually around his age or possibly even older. She had shoulder length blond hair, most likely colored, and dressed nicely with red manicured nails. Tony stepped aside to let them enter. Once they were inside, Tony closed the door.

"This is my son, Tony or as I call him Junior." Senior said, introducing the woman to Tony.

"It's very nice to meet you." She greeted. "Your father has told me a great deal about you."

Before Senior could make further introductions, Charity walked in the room. "I'm in trouble now..." Charity began and everyone turned to her, then she noticed the woman next to Senior and her words stopped.

"Charity?" The woman asked. Then she walked over to Charity and embraced her. "Oh, it's so good to see you, Baby. What are you doing here?"

"I live here." Charity answered.

"But Anthony said that this was his son and daughter-in-law's house."

"That's because I am his daughter-in-law." Charity answered.

Tony and Senior looked at each other, confused looks on their faces. Then they looked at the two women. "You two know each other?" senior asked.

Gibbs walked into the room, to see what was going on. Then he looked at the blond woman. "Joanne?"

**A/N: Woohoo! 100 chapters! I hope you guys are enjoying this. Please read and review. I love hearing from you guys.**


	101. Chapter 101

"Joanne?" Gibbs asked.

"Jethro." She greeted curtly.

"What's going on here?" Senior asked.

"Joanne is my grandmother." Charity answered with a sigh.

"You don't have to say it like it's such a terrible thing." Joanne told Charity.

Charity pressed her lips together, trying to hold back the smart retort she wanted so desperately to say.

"I thought you said, you didn't have any family?" Senior asked Joanne.

"Well my granddaughter cut me out of her life the day she turned eighteen." Joanne said. "I see you still harbor a grudge against me, baby."

"You know, now is neither the time nor the place to discuss this." Charity said.

"Let's just get along for the day?" Joanne asked. "I remember a time when you used to want to stay with me all the time."

"That was before." Charity answered. "But we can get along for the night."

Tony was standing next to Charity, he could feel the tension rolling off of her in waves. _Well, I was worried for good reason, but not about the right thing._ Tony thought to himself.

"Well, I have to go check the food." Charity announced and then headed for the kitchen.

"Let's go to the living room." Tony suggested, motioning for everyone to turn to their right. When they turned, everyone else in the house, was standing by the doorway into the living room. They all instantly looked away and busied themselves with something else.

Senior grabbed Tony's arm and pulled him aside. "I'm sorry, Junior. I had no idea..."

"It's okay, Dad." Tony replied. "I'm going to go check on Charity." Tony headed into the kitchen and found Charity chopping something up with a rather large knife. She lifted the knife and brought it down on the item of food, hard. "Honey, I think it's dead." Tony joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Charity put the knife down and let out a sigh. She sank against the counter. "I just never expected to see her, here." Charity told Tony.

Tony walked over to his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Are you gonna be okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine." Charity answered.

"So, did you really cut her out of your life when you turned eighteen?" Tony asked.

"Yes." Charity answered. "But I don't want to go into why right now. Oh, how I wish I weren't breast feeding right now."

"Why?"

"Because, I need a drink."

Tony lifted his hands and started to massage Charity's shoulders. "Everything is going to be fine."

"As long as she behaves herself, it will be." Charity said.

Tony leaned forward and kissed Charity's cheek. Then he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against his chest. "Hey, I'm here for you. If you want, I'll put a whoopie cushion in her chair." Tony told his wife.

Charity giggled slightly. "Have I ever told you how glad I am that I married you?" She asked.

"Not lately." Tony answered, a grin on his face.

"Well, I'm very glad." She replied.

"Good." Tony said, turning Charity to face him. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out some mistle toe and held it over her head. "Somebody is under the mistle toe. You know what that means."

Charity giggled again. "I believe that you're supposed to kiss me now."

Tony pulled Charity's lips to his and kissed her. "Come on guys, not in front of the food." Came Bernie's voice from the doorway.

Tony and Charity broke apart and without missing a beat Charity looked at Bernie and replied, "Hey, every cook says their secret ingredient is love. How else do you think we can get love into the food?"

Tony smiled at his wife. He was glad that he had been able to help change her mood. He hated seeing her upset about anything.

Bernie chuckled. "Well, is it ready yet, or do you two have to put more _love_ into the food?"

"Five minutes." Charity answered.

Soon the group was setting down to a delicious dinner. Of course the dinner was filled with awkward silence, that everyone seemed to be afraid to break. Abby decided to be the brave soul to break the silence. "So, Senior, how did you and Joanne meet?" She asked.

The room seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief as Abby had been the one to break the silence and ask the question, that they were all wondering. "We met at a party a mutual friend was throwing." Senior answered.

The group was surprised by the simple answer. Joanne then surprised everyone by speaking up and speaking directly to Charity. "Charity, when did you and Tony get married?"

"About seven months ago." Charity answered.

Joanne nodded. "So, you were pregnant when you got married?"

"Yes." Charity answered.

Joanne nodded. "I hope you've given up that wretched Marine Core. I mean how could you possibly be a good parent leaving your children and your husband for months at a time like that."

Charity looked at her grandmother, knowing full well that she wasn't talking about Charity. "I was honorably discharged from the Marines a few months ago." Charity told Joanne. "But I would gladly defend my country again and again. I'm proud of being a Marine."

"Yes, but you have to admit it puts a strain on the family." Joanne countered.

Everyone at the table sat in silence, watching the spectacle in front of them. The only people at the table who knew what was going on were Charity, Gibbs, Joanne, and Jackson. The way Charity was looking at her grandmother, if looks could have killed, Joanne would be dead.

"It can make the family stronger." Charity replied, her voice almost too calm.

"Not if when you return that family is gone." Joanne replied.

Everyone at the table seemed stunned by Joanne's reference to Shannon and Kelly. To keep herself from doing anything stupid, Charity rose from her seat and headed for the kitchen. The room was silent after her departure. Tony started to get up to go after Charity, but Gibbs motioned for him to sit. It was time for the Papa bear and his cub to have a heart-to-heart.

"Baby girl." Gibbs said, walking into the kitchen. "Are you alright?"

Charity turned to look at her father, tears gleaming in her eyes. "How dare she." Charity said. "How dare she come into my home and disrespect me...disrespect you."

Gibbs walked over to his daughter and pulled her into his arms. "She's hurting baby girl. She needs someone to blame." Gibbs told his daughter.

"But why does she have to keep blaming you? The only person to blame is Pedro and he's dead." Charity said.

"Baby girl, you know everyone deals with grief in their own way."

Charity began to shake her head. "But this isn't right. It's not fair. And even if she wants to blame you, she never had to say anything in front of me. You're my father. No matter how much you hurt, there are lines you don't cross and she's crossed everyone of them."

"Baby girl, you should talk to her. Tell her how you feel. No matter what, she is your grandmother."

Charity sniffed, feeling so much like a scared little girl. "You know, Dad, sometimes I really hate it when you're right. I just don't know if I'm ready to forgive her."

Gibbs kissed Charity's forehead. "It's up to you baby girl. Just make sure you do what's right for you."


	102. Chapter 102

A little while later, Charity stood face to face with her grandmother. They were in the basement, that way if things got ugly, no one else could hear. "So, what do you want to talk to me about?" Joanne asked.

"Your behavior." Charity answered. "How dare you come into my home and disrespect me and my father."

"How dare you speak to me like that." Joanne replied. "No matter what, I am still your grandmother."

"You know why I cut you out of my life all those years ago?" Charity asked.

Joanne seemed taken aback for a moment. She quickly collected herself. "Your father brainwashed you against me." Joanne answered.

Charity shook her head. "No, because ever since Mom and Kelly were killed, you've done nothing but blame Daddy."

"I guess you don't realize it, but I lost my daughter and my granddaughter that day." Joanne replied.

"No, I realize that." Charity said. "But what you don't realize is that you're not the only one who lost them. You're not the only one who lost two loved ones. I lost my mother and my big sister. Daddy lost his wife, the love of his life, and his daughter."

"What's your point?" Joanne asked.

"That you are selfish. You can't think beyond what you lost. Did you ever even stop to think about how much Daddy was hurting?"

It took Joanne a moment to collect herself. "He's probably feeling guilty that he wasn't there to protect his family. Your father should have been home with you girls and then they would still be here."

Charity looked at her grandmother. "Maybe he could have made a difference and maybe not, but that doesn't matter. You never respected him for being a Marine. He was fighting, trying to make the world a better and safer place for his family, for me and Kelly. As an NCIS agent, he's still trying to make the world a safer place for me and for my boys."

"He has you so brainwashed against me." Joanne began.

"Don't you dare even start." Charity told her. "He's the reason I'm down here talking to you in the first place. He told me to talk to you. He even tried to keep me from cutting you out of my life all those years ago. Daddy has been making excuses for you and telling me to forgive you, and this is how you repay him. This is how you treat him."

"But..." Joanne began.

Charity pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. She said gave the other person the address and told them to be there in ten minutes then she hung up the phone. "I called you a cab. I want you to leave my home and I don't ever want to see you again."

Ten minutes later, Joanne was walking out the door and stepping into the cab. Charity had shut the door behind Joanne. Tony walked in and put his hands on her shoulders. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"I'm fine." Charity amswered. "I'm ready to get back to the party."

Just then Senior walked into the room. He looked at Charity. "Charity, I'm so sorry. I didn't know..."

Charity walked over to her father-in-law and hugged him. "It's alright. You didn't know." She then gave him a kiss on the cheek. She pulled away and then headed into the other room. "Okay, let's all just forget about that and have a good time."

It was a little awkward for a while, but soon the party went well. Jackson looked at Charity, a smile on his face. "I have something I want to give to you." He told her.

Charity looked at her grandfather. "You didn't have to do that. I'm just glad to have you here."

Jackson waved her off and then pulled a picture from his pocket and handed it to her. Charity looked at the picture and a smile lit her face. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Yup." Jackson answered.

"What is it?" Tony asked, moving over to look at the picture.

Charity held it out to him and Tony looked confused. "What in the world?"

"What is it?" Senior asked.

Charity turned the picture for the crowd to see. It was something that looked like it used to be a car, old and rusty. "That's a hunk of junk." Bernie observed.

Charity shook her head. "No, it's a 1967 Shelby Mustang GT 500!" Charity squealed.

"But it's missing everything." Senior said.

Charity waved off her father-in-law. "So, when are we gonna work on her?"

"Well, I talked to your dad and he's gonna let me stay with him and you and I are going to restore her there, this spring." Jackson answered.

Charity grinned and hugged her grandfather. "I'm so excited."

Bernie looked at Tony. "Hold on here, you married a woman, who not only knows cars, but knows how to fix them?"

"Yeah." Tony replied.

"You lucky bastard."

Charity looked at Bernie. "Watch your language. There are little ears in the house now."

"So, what are you going to name her?" Jackson asked Charity.

"Well, after watching _Gone in 60 Seconds_, there is only one name for her, Eleanor." Charity answered.

Tony looked at his wife. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "You are the best wife ever."

Charity giggled. "I know." Charity was excited. She couldn't wait to start working on the car with her grandpa. She had had so many memories with Jackson working on Lola, she couldn't wait to start working on Eleanor, to start some new memories.


	103. Chapter 103

Later that night, after everyone had left and the boys were asleep, Tony lay in bed, fiddling with a small box. Charity stepped out of their bathroom and headed to the bed, next to her husband. "What have you got there?" She asked.

"A present for you." Tony answered, handing his wife the box.

"Well, while I'm opening this, you can open this." Charity said, leaning over and pulling a box out from under the bed and handing it to him.

"Open yours first." Tony told Charity.

Charity unwrapped the box and opened it up. Then she looked at the ring inside the box. It had her her birthstone, Tony's, and the boys' as well as all of their names. Charity grinned. "I love it." She stretched over and kissed him. "Now, open yours. I had a little help with it from Abby and your dad."

Tony looked at his wife, curiously, trying to figure out what kind of gift she would need help from Abby and his father. Tony then unwrapped the gift and opened the box. Inside were unmarked DVD cases. "What are these?" He asked.

Charity took one of the DVDs from Tony. She stood up and walked over to the TV they had in their bedroom. She turned the TV and DVD player on and popped in one of the movies. She grabbed the remote and returned to the bed. "Is this a naughty video of you?" Tony asked, a grin on his face.

Charity giggled. "No, just watch and find out." She then hit play and a video came on. The screen focused on a woman in her twenties. She had long blond hair and in a hospital bed, holding a small baby wrapped in a blue blanket. She was smiling down at the baby. Then she looked at the camera, still smiling.

_"Isn't he perfect? Our beautiful little boy, Anthony DiNozzo Jr."_

Tony stared at the screen, watching his mother. She was so beautiful and she looked happy. The video changed to her coming home with Tony from the hospital. Then it was Tony crawling, taking his first steps, and saying his first words, and his mom was with him in every scene. The video ended with Tony's first birthday and his mom cleaning him up after he dunked his face in the cake.

When the video ended, Tony turned to his wife. He pulled her close for a kiss. "This is the best Christmas gift anyone has ever given me."

Charity grinned. "That's what I was going for."

**A/N: Sorry that this chapter was so short, but I wanted to have a sweet moment between Tony and Charity.**


	104. Chapter 104

Time passed and Tommy and Jack were about four months old. The team was out processing their latest crime scene. When they finished, they returned to NCIS and began working on the case.

Gibbs entered the room and looked at his team. "What do you got?" He asked.

The team went through their routine, giving Gibbs what they had so far. When Ziva took her turn she pulled up a sketch on the screen. "A witness says she saw Captain James leaving the bar with this woman. I've already sent out bolo for anyone matching her descrption."

"There's no need." Tony and Gibbs both said.

"Why?" Ziva asked.

"Because, we already know who she is." Gibbs answered.

"Wendy Miller." Tony finished.

"Wendy, as in your ex-fiance, Wendy?" McGee asked, Tony.

"Yes." Tony answered.

"McGee, get get her address." Gibbs ordered.

McGee pulled up everything he could about Wendy, including the fact atht she was now a reporter and no longer a teacher. He gave Gibbs the information and Gibbs took Ziva with him to go and bring her in.

Not too much later, Gibbs was in interrogation with Wendy. Ziva and McGee were watching in the observation room, Tony had declined to watch. Just then Abby walked in the observation room. "Did I miss it?" Abby asked. "I've always wondered what Wendy looked like."

"You're just in time, Abby." McGee answered.

The trio stood silent and watched as Gibbs questioned Wendy. "Do you know this man?" Gibbs asked, showing Wendy a pictire of Captain James.

"Yes, that's Captain Raymond James." She answered. "Are you going to tell me what's going on, Gibbs?"

"How do you know Captain James?" Gibbs asked.

"He said he had a story I might be interested in and we were meeting so that he could tell me the story." Wendy answered.

"What was the story?" Gibbs asked.

"Some sort of smuggling operation." Wendy answered. "He was really jumpy."

"What did he tell you?" Gibbs asked.

"He didn't tell me anything." Wendy answered. "He gave me a flash drive. He said it had everything I would need. Now what is going on?"

"Captain James is dead. He was murdered last night after his meeting with you." Gibbs answered. "I need that flash drive. It's eviudence."

Wendy reluctantly reached into her pocket and pulled out the flashdrive. She handed it to Gibbs. "Now what?" She asked.

"You're free to go." Gibbs answered. "But you might want to stay close by or I can assign an agent to protect you. If anyone saw the Captain giving you this flash drive, you could be in danger."

"I think I'll stick around here for a little while." Wendy answered.

**A/N: I hope you guys are enjoying this. I'm thinking of ending it in a few more chapters, but don't worry, I have penty more ideas for Tony and Charity.**


	105. Chapter 105

Tony rose from his desk and headed for the elevator. He stepped on and pushed the button to the ground level. He had decided that he should go home and check on Charity and the boys.

"Hello Tony." came the familiar female voice.

Tony turned, having not noticed her there before. "Hello Wendy." He replied.

"So, how have you been?" Wendy asked.

"Good." Tony answered.

"You seem to be in a hurry." Wendy observed.

"Just want to get home." Tony answered.

"I see." Wendy replied. "If I decide that I want to leave and take an agent with me, am I allowed to choose?"

"No." Tony answered.

"I would like to talk to you, Tony." Wendy said.

Tony sighed. He reached over and pushed the button to stop the elevator. "What do you want to talk about?" Tony inquired.

"Us." Wendy answered. "I know I left you the night before our wedding, but I just wasn't ready. I want..."

Tony lifted his left hand. "I'm married."

Wendy looked at the platinum band on Tony's left ring finger. "What...when?"

"About ten months." Tony answered. "We have four month old twin boys."

"Oh." Was all Wendy could think to say.

Tony pushed the button and the elevator continued moving down. It soon stopped and the doors opened. Tony stepped off and walked out. Wendy watched him walk away, heading to his home. The home he shared with another woman, a woman he married and had children with. Whoever this other woman was, had everything Wendy had given up all those years ago

Tony soon arrived home. He parked the car and shut it off. Then he walked in the house. There was a baby monitor sitting on the table by the stairs. He could hear Charity singing to the boys through it. He smiled as he slipped off his jacket and then quietly headed up the steps.

Tony slowly and quietly walked into the nursery. Charity was sitting in the rocking chair holding Jack and Tommy and singing to them. Tony stood in the doorway for a moment and watched his family. It was times like this that he almost forgot that Charity was a Marine. She didn't seem tough or trained, but he knew that sleeping just beneath the surface was the kick ass Marine who had more black bars in her service record than a jail cell.

Charity stood up and walked over to place the boys in their cribs. She started for the door when she spotted Tony. "When did you get home?" Charity asked.

"A few minutes ago." Tony answered, opening up his arms for Charity.

Charity stepped into his embrace. She stretched up for a kiss. Tony obliged her. He kissed her. He ran his hands down her sides and slid them into the back pockets of her jeans. Charity grinned into the kiss and pulled back. "Is that your badge or are you just happy to see me?" She teased.

"Oh, I'm more than happy to see you." Tony replied. "So, how long do you think Tommy and Jack will be asleep?"

"A couple of hours." Charity answered. "So long as we're quiet."

Tony grinned devilishly. He scoooped Charity into his arms and carried her down the hall and into their bedroom.

_A couple of weeks later..._

Charity was working out while Tommy and Jack were napping and Tony was at work. There was a knock on the door. Charity stopped her workout and got up. She walked over to the door and opened it. There was a woman standing on the other side. She was thin with bangs and shoulder length dark locks.

"Can I help you with anything?" Charity asked, confused and instantly feeling uneasy.

"I...I was looking for Tony." The woman replied.

"He's at work. Can I help you with anything?"

"I..." The woman began, but wasn't quite sure what to say next.

"Who are you?" Charity inquired.

"Wendy Miller."

"The woman Tony almost married." Charity replied, Tony having told her about Wendy.

"Yes...and you must be his wife, Charity."

"Yes." Charity replied.

"You know what...I should probably go. I shouldn't have come here." Wendy said.

"No, you don't have to...come in." Charity said, stepping aside for Wendy to enter.


	106. Chapter 106

Charity led Wendy into the living room. "Would you like some coffee?" Charity offered.

"No thank you." Wendy answered.

Charity nodded and then she and Wendy both sat down. Before Charity could speak any further, Jack began to cry. Charity got up and walked over to his bassinet. She picked him up and then went to the kitchen to grab a bottle. She walked back in feeding him. She sat back down and looked at Wendy.

"So, this is one of your boys?" She asked. "Tony said you guys have twins."

Charity nodded. "This is Jack. Tommy is in his bassinet over there."

Wendy nodded. She looked at Jack and then stood and walked over to look at Tommy. "They are adorable." Wendy commented. She looked at Tommy for a few more minutes and then went and sat back down across from Charity.

Once Jack had finished his bottle, Charity burped him. She repositioned him so that he was setting up his back against her. "So, Wendy, why did you come here?" Charity asked.

"I figured you would ask that question." Wendy began. "I'm not entirely sure why I'm here. I guess I just wanted to see what I gave up."

Charity nodded. "Just out of curiosity, why did you give up a wonderful guy like Tony?"

"I just wasn't ready." Wendy answered. "He was the one, but I just wasn't ready for him."

"And now?" Charity inquired.

"Now, I'm ready, but he's obviously moved on."

"But you obviously thought that you still had a chance." Charity stated.

Wendy looked up at Charity. Charity's blue eyes were keen and just like her father's they missed nothing. So lying to Charity was out of the question. "Yes."

"And you still hold a glimmer of hope that you could still get him back."

Wendy felt trapped in Charity's blue gaze. Her eyes pulling the truth from her very core. "Yes."

Charity nodded. She stood up and laid Jack in his bassinet. Then she returned to Wendy. "I can tell you that you don't have a chance. You had it and you lost it. Tony married me."

"While he did marry you, he would have married me if I hadn't of called it off the night before." Wendy replied.

Charity looked at Wendy calmly. "I think you should leave. I also think you should stay away from my husband and my family."

"I'll leave, but I can't stay away. I gave up on Tony once, but I can't again." Wendy said, rising from her seat.

Charity walked over to stand directly on front of Wendy. She looked her in the eye. "What did Tony tell you about me?" Charity asked.

"All he said is that he was married to you and you had twin boys." Wendy answered.

Charity nodded. "A few months ago, I was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps." Charity began. "I went on several black ops missions and looked terrorists in the eye. I've survived bombs and being shot. So trust me sweetheart, when I say you don't want to get in it with me. Do I make myself clear?"

Wendy looked at Charity. She had the feeling that Charity wouldn't actually hurt her, but she also wasn't willing to take that chance. She also understood why Charity was saying what she was saying. "Crystal clear."

"Now, get out of my house and don't come back, ever." Charity ordered.

Wendy nodded and left.


	107. Chapter 107

The next few months passed uneventfully. Tommy and Jack grew steadily and were eating more solid foods, crawling, and even had a few words they could speak. On this particular day, Tony and Charity were getting things ready for Tommy and Jack's first birthday party.

They were putting up decorations and chasing down the boys, when Gibbs arrived with the cakes. There were three cakes. a big one for everyone and two small one, one for each of the boys. Gibbs sat the cakes down in the kitchen.

"No, Tommy." came Charity's voice from the living room. Charity chased Tommy into the kitchen and scooped him up. "Open up." She told him, prying his mouth open and pulling out a penny. "I swear, I pick everything up off the floor and yet you still find something I missed."

"Give him to Grandpa." Gibbs said, holding his arms open. "I'll keep him out of trouble."

"I'll hand him over, but I doubt that anyone can keep him out of trouble." Charity said.

Just then Tony came in holding Jack and prying a dead bug from his hand. "I thought we cleaned the house." Tony said, throwing the dead bug away.

"These two are little hoovers." Charity replied. "We clean and they find missed spots, and just get into trouble. They definitely take after their father."

"Oh and you were a perfectly behaved little angel when you were a kid?" Tony teased.

"Of course." Charity replied.

Tony looked at Gibbs. "Was she?"

"For the most part, I couldn't complain." Gibbs replied.

The group finished up getting things ready for the party. Then the rest of the group soon arrived. Abby, Ziva, McGee, Senior, Jackson, Bernie, and Duckie all came for the party. They started off snacking on a few things that everyone has made. Then they moved onto opening the presents.

Once Tommy and Jack had finished opeing their presents, Tony and Charity stripped them down to their diapers and sat them in their high chairs. They grabbed the two small cakes with the giant candle in the shape of the number one on top of them. Everyone sang "Happy Birthday" and then they put the cakes in front og the boys.

Tommy smashed his hand into the cake and then began to lick the icing off. Jack dunked his whole face into the cake. The boys dug into the cakes, completely covering themselves from head to toe in icing and cake. Abby was recording the whole party.

Once the boys had finished the cake, having more of it on them rather than in their bellies, Tony and Charity lifted them from their seats. Then they took them into the kitchen and washed them off.

"How do we get cake out of their hair?" Tony asked.

"Scrub." Charity answered. Then she looked at Jack. "How in the world did you get cake on your back and in your diaper?"

"The kid has talent." Tony answered.

"True. He is your son after all." Charity replied.

"Don't be jealous just because you don't have the talent." Tony retorted, a grin on his face.

Charity leaned over and kissed Tony. Then she continued to scrub Jack clean, smiling. She had a wonderful husband, two beautiful boys, her father, and some great friends. She was truely blessed and happy.

Tony smiled as he finished cleaning Tommy up. He had a great life with his wife and boys. He was even building a relationship with his father. He was happy and it had all started with Charity.

**A/N: I am going to make this the last chapter of this story. I may write a sequal later, but for now I'm going to work on my other versions of Tony and Charity's relationship. I will probably have the first one started by the end of the day. I look forward to your reviews and hope you guys are looking forward to my other stories as much as I am. Thank you guys for all of your support.**


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